Blue Nights
by LostInTheDreams
Summary: Experiencing an hour where dark creatures roam and danger hides in both friend and foe alike, Conan will need to find a way to cut off the threat from entering the normal world or face death like he's never seen it before.
1. First Night

New, and hopefully only a dozen or less chapters long, fic I started for Conan's Birthday today ^_^

 **AN:** This is Detective Conan meets a strange new phenomenon, taking place after the Bell Tree Express Arc with a mix of the supernatural elements. It is taking elements from the Midnighter's "Blue Hour" and the Persona "Dark Hour" and might also have some Dresden Files magical logic to explain some of what's going on. You need no prior knowledge of anything other than Detective Conan and the anime/manga up until that point. All previous events in Detective Conan remain the same.

...

 **Blue Nights**

 **Chapter 1: First Night**

Amuro turned as the door slammed, seeing a grenade. As he jumped away and the cars became uncoupled, he saw a figure in the smoke that was now trying to choke him. He coughed, unable to make out who it was. The wind blew hard, nothing stopping it now, and that face… He couldn't be sure that was who he thought it was, could it be?

Then there was an explosion and he turned back, seeing the cart that Sherry had been in explode. His eyes widened slightly larger, forcing him to wipe them a second later when dust entered them.

Just as unsure as he was at whom he'd just seen, now gone as he turned back, he couldn't be sure that there was a strange blue flash that seemed to emanate from the destroyed cart and swept over the train.

…

…

Conan hadn't gotten much sleep the next night. He knew Haibara was safe, though it seemed Akai-san had disappeared from the cabin for a bit, before he'd been able to reach him. Odds were he'd just been watching how things went, but then again, Conan couldn't be sure. Sera-san had shut up too quickly and gone home too fast, worrying him, but he hadn't been able to leave Ran to follow her back after they'd gone their separate ways.

Really though, none of that was the reason for his poor quality of sleep last night. If he dwelled on simple stuff like that like, he'd have made himself insane a long time ago.

What really kept him up were the nightmares.

Conan didn't usually dream, at all, and the fact that something as simple as a nightmare could shake him, bothered him. He'd had a few in his life, and they usually meant something really bad was about to happen. If he believed in that kind of foreshadowing though, he'd be crossing a line he wasn't willing to cross just yet.

Ran had made breakfast like always and he got himself out of bed, eating on autopilot and having to be reminded to grab his school bag as he opened the door and had been about to leave for school without it.

Even the walk to school felt like it was taking all his energy to get through, meeting Haibara on the way, and noticing that she looked just as tired as he did.

"Didn't get much sleep last night, did you? Don't worry, the organization shouldn't be after you any more after that."

"I know." The strawberry blond girl wiped her eyes, blinking her vision back into clarity. "I'd thank you for that if you hadn't put us in so much danger to do it."

"Gee, I'll make sure that there's absolutely no danger whatsoever next time I see them then."

The offbeat humor made her smile, though Conan hadn't been trying to do so. He yawned, his eyes lidded when he faced forward again.

"What about you? Up all night reading books again?"

Conan would have leveled his eyes at her if they weren't already half closed. "As if I could after the other day. No. I guess I just had nightmares." Nightmares about growling creatures made of shadow, wanting to eat him. It didn't take a genius to see where his mind had been going with that one.

"Nightmares. That's a first. And here I thought you weren't afraid of anything."

"Tsh. You know nightmares don't make any sense. They work off of primal, encompassing fears anyway- not even making sense all the time if they don't want to. It's not like I'm _still_ dreaming."

"You're always dreaming. If I didn't know better, I'd say you are never truly awake. As far as normal, human fears go, I don't believe you have any."

Conan sighed again but he really wasn't ready to go fighting her on this stupid argument. He didn't get enough sleep to have the energy for it.

…

Conan found himself passed out on his desk around the time their third lesson just started. He was too tired to fight it anymore, and there really was no reason not to. The book was propped up in front of him well enough, and he'd learned these same lessons already.

Thankfully, neither the teacher nor the others woke him until the start of the lesson after, at least giving him the nap to work with through the rest of the day. Haibara, to his amazement, fell asleep as well, though it was during lunch, so no one fought her on it.

He put up with the others telling him how he really shouldn't sleep through class, Haibara snoozing away while he ate and did his best to ignore them. At some point he heard the whispered conversation turn inward, and something about what he and Haibara were doing the other day, but he didn't care enough to listen in to the rumors they were formulating.

The rest of the day he was tired, though in better spirits. He excused himself from playing with them after school on account that Haibara did it first and he'd rather get his homework done and sleep early tonight.

That wasn't going to happen as he walked in, greeting whoever was in the room as he opened the door, and nearly walking into Hattori.

He started up at him with bored eyes. "What are you doing here now?"

"Hey, that ain't no way ta great me." Hattori bent down, mussing up his hair and causing him to intensify his glare. "Heard there was somethin' wrong with that train ye were on the other day an' just wanted ta come over an' hear 'bout what happened. The school had some drainage issues so we got off fer the next few days fer them ta fix it up."

"So you simply had nothing else to do and came here." Conan could easily see that. If there was some way to entertain the Osakan long enough to keep him in his own turf, he'd be worried about the Kanto region. "Kazuha-chan didn't come with you this time?"

Hattori shook his head and waved a hand in front of his face. "Nah. She wanted ta, but I told her I was workin' on a case an' she'd get in the way. Kin I… Kin I talk ta ya for a bit? In private?"

Conan peeked around Hattori. It looked like the old man was fixated on the small television screen and Ran wasn't in the room, so it was very likely she was getting lunch ready. With Hattori now here, she'd either make more or split their portions. He was guessing the first so they'd have some time.

"Sure, why not?" He wanted to see what kind of case would get Hattori out here at a second's notice anyway. He went upstairs with him, putting his bag down and getting up on the old man's bed.

"So what's going on?"

Hattori sighed, scratching his cheek before lowering his hand and shoving both into his pockets. "This is gonna sound really weird ta ya. I know ya typically jus' wave me off an' stuff but… anythin' weird going on at night that'cha noticed? Somethin', maybe, that ya can't explain?"

Conan narrowed his eyes at Hattori and shook his head. "No, why? Is something going on around here?" He hadn't heard anything last night, and he had been up for a while some time around dawn when he couldn't sleep. There wasn't much that kept him out if it was obvious enough to get the other teen out here.

"Nah, nothing like that. Ah…" Hattori half sighed, half made a noise that better suited an animal. "I guess I just gotta wait ta tonight and see what happens. I thought that… We'll see. Sorry fer gettin' all weird on ya."

"Sure. It's fine." Conan got down, very confused. He hadn't seen Hattori at a loss for words much, and when he had, it typically had to do with Kazuha. "So, how long are you staying here?"

"The night, fer sure. I'm not sure after. Gonna see what's goin' on out here first. It's complicated."

"So you say." Conan was too tired to try and figure him out. He walked back out the door, wondering what all that was for, and went to sit at the table and wait for Ran to come out with the meal. The old man joined him before Hattori did, and he _really_ became curious then. Not much could keep the dark skinned teen away from food, even his thoughts.

Hattori's curious behavior was enough, it seemed, to fend off immediate sleep after dinner.

"So, are you going to tell me why you're really here?"

"I said it'd wait ta tonight. I'm not sure if… if I saw it right. Ah, just hold up 'till then."

"Why tonight?"

"Because I gotta see somethin'. It's hard ta explain."

"Then explain it the easy way."

Hattori leveled a look at him that made Conan smile. "Ya like ta be difficult sometimes, don't ya?"

"Only when I have to be. Besides, there's not much that should make you come all the way out here. If it were really a case, you would have spoken to the old man as well. Since you're just freeloading off of us for no explainable reason and without Kazuha, I'd have to guess it's something dangerous."

"You could say that. Fine, the easy way then. I think yer gonna go outside tonight, and that maybe some black stray dog or cat thing is gonna getcha. There. Happy? It's not easy to describe but ya ain't goin' out that door without me, ya got it?"

Conan raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm just going to go outside, in the middle of the night, and get attacked by some strange animal?"

"Somethin' like that." Hattori took in and let out a breath. He put both hands harder than he needed to on the table as he got up. "I'm goin' ta bed. Remember what I said."

"Hai, hai." Conan shook his head but turned his attention back to the television in front of them. If Hattori wanted to go off making stories up, he'd just have to wait and watch the other teen to see what he was really up to.

He found himself falling asleep at the table. He hadn't done his homework at all, thought the assignments were simple enough. None of them were projects. He could get them done in the morning, before school, if he had to. He was too tired to do them right now.

"Ran-neechan, I'm going to bed."

"Okay, Conan-kun. You look really tired. Are you feeling well?"

Conan nodded. "I'm fine. I just stayed up kind of late last night." It was close enough to the truth and he didn't know what she'd do if he told her he had nightmares. With Hattori here, he didn't want to know how the other would react if she invited him in bed with her or anything.

"Get some rest then. I'll wake you for school."

"Thanks." Conan left, another yawn escaping him as he closed the door. He went upstairs to find Hattori already in the old man's room, though he was on his phone and awake on the bed.

"You're sleeping in here with us again, aren't you? You know he could lock you in the office if you wanted your own space."

"An' have ya get right passed me, when I came here ta make sure ya didn' do that? Not on yer life." Hattori spent a few more seconds on his phone before putting it away. "Are ya goin' ta bed already? It's a school night, but it's early."

"I didn't ask for your opinion." Conan went and got undressed, wishing Hattori would get his own room. It was bad enough sharing with the old man. He got the futon out, letting Hattori get his now. "If you're going to be up, can you leave the room or something?"

"Stop getting' annoyed. I'm goin' ta bed too. Had ta hop on the train pretty early ta get here, though I should'a just caught a later one."

"If you would just explain to me better why you're here, I wouldn't be so annoyed."

"I _did_ explain." Hattori went to the closet as well, putting his bed next to Conan's and leaving enough room for occhan to get to his bed as well without stepping on them. "Yer the one that doesn't believe me."

"Right. Avoid rabid animals. Got it." Conan closed his eyes, half shaking his head and half burying it deeper into the pillow. "Night."

Hattori went over and flipped the switch for the light off before getting in his bed as well. "Night."

…

Conan jumped out of bed, his hands on either side of the pillow as he heard a really loud howl. He turned, looking at the closed door in the darkness. It almost sounded like it came from right on the other side.

" _Thought so_."

Conan spun, Hattori on one knee and watching him and the door, eyes flickering between both quick enough that Conan didn't think he would have been able to sit up much further without being grabbed.

"What _is_ that?" Too afraid to lay back down and unsure if he wanted to move too much and make noise, Conan found himself in the same position as Hattori, watching the door.

"Not sure. I've been callin' 'em shadow creatures… kinda. I've never really had someone ta talk to 'bout 'em before. No one else could see them. First time I known 'em to come in a house too. I guess 'cause this ain't really a house."

There was some pawing noises at the door and Conan turned, Hattori grabbing him and pulling him back.

"Crud, I didn't think 'bout fightin' 'em. I only saw it outside. Don't think it kin get in here."

Conan's blood ran cold. "What about Ran?" he hissed under his breath. She usually left her door open at night.

"Don' worry. You're the only one I saw. Neechan should be fine. She didn't look half awake like you did, anyway, so I figure yer the only one that got bit."

"Bit? I didn't get bit by anything."

"Really?" Hattori looked down at him before the noises outside had him facing the door again. "That's weird. That's how it happened ta me. I was walking home one day late at night, and some cat freaked me out. I could swear it had red, glowin' eyes. Anyway, it bit me. Next thing I know, this is happening."

"This? What is this?" Conan tried to keep his voice down but he was very confused and something very large and, apparently, very determined, was on the other side of the door.

"Calm down. Don't freak out. Trust me. I was twelve when it happened to me and my parents had me in therapy fer months before I finally gave in an' said I was lyin'. It's…. kinda nice to know I'm not."

"Back to the sentimentally when you tell me what's going on and if that thing can get in."

"I… don't think it kin." The door budged at the corner, the wood creaking under the weight of something much stronger than it. "Then again, lets not stay ta find out."

They both went over to the window, Hattori opening it while Conan looked on in mild confusion. They were three stories up. There was no way they could just jump out the window.

Once open, Hattori decided to do just that though, climbing over threshold and hanging by his hands.

"What do you think you're doing? _!"_ That was it. The world officially was going crazy around him or he was dreaming.

"Gettin' outta here unless ya want that thing ta eat us. Bet it don't feel too good. Get out here so I kin help ya."

If it was a dream, better go to with Hattori. The creaking behind him told him the door wasn't going to last much longer. He had to climb over the old man and that stopped him dead in his track. Occhan didn't seem to be breathing. He put his hand over him to check, assuring the fact that he indeed wasn't. "Hattori…"

"It's normal. I'll explain when we're not about ta be eaten." The teen's hand reached in the window, grabbing him off the bed and pulling him out to certain death as well. "Hold on ta me. I can't climb an' hold ya."

Conan held on tight, watching Hattori try to get to the edge of the building where there was a small foothold. He was crazy. This was something that Conan knew, even in his own body and with little reservations, _he_ wouldn't try without a rope of some kind. "You're going to get us killed," he hissed from Hattori's back.

"Only if ya keep distracting me." They got to the ledge, barely, and it seemed that was all Hattori was going to try for as he let his foot slide off the building, his hand half catching the same ledge, and both of them landing hard on the ground.

"Ow, ow, ow," Hattori complained, holding his side. "Ya okay?"

"I think so." Conan got himself up _off the ground_ _,_ cleaning his hair of anything that might have gotten into it in the fall.

"Good." Hattori stood, looking around. "Yer place is pretty close ta here, isn't it?"

"Right next to the professor's." He'd never had reason to let Hattori in there before, and even less reason since Subaru had moved in.

"You lead the way then. If I tell ya ta do somethin' though, do it right away. I don't get much warnin' in this time." Hattori told him to go first but it was the taller of them that walked to the front of the house and looked around the area. Conan followed reluctantly, seeing nothing but the street in front of him.

"Do you think you can explain what's going on along the way? I'm very confused."

"Sure. I kin only explain what I guessed at though. Seems somethin' weird is goin' on. Never thought one would try so hard ta get in before." Hattori reached down and pushed Conan forward. "Get goin' then."

Conan did, not sure if he should run or not. Since Hattori didn't speed him along, he figured walking would be just fine. He tried to slow down, to get Hattori next to him. It didn't take him long to notice that, even though it was dark, he could see far better than he should have this late at night. Everything seemed to have some strange, blue hue of internal light to it.

"Explainin' now. Don't know what this is. Know I sat in my room fer a bit an' tried ta time it. Best I could tell ya is that it's about an hour an' no one kin move but me… Well, used to only be me. Everyone else ain't death, they just ain't breathin' 'cause they ain't really here. It's like a separate world. Tried something out one time. I… I was a kid and confused, so don't judge me."

"I'm not. Hattori, look around you." Conan waved his hand. "I don't have much to judge when I seem just as crazy as you are."

That made the other laugh. "Guess yer right. Anyway, one night, just ta see if it did anything, I took a knife and I cut my mom. Just a little!" he defended right away. "On her finger. I just wanted ta see what would happen. I did the same ta myself. When time started again, cause that's the only think I can call it, her cut just vanished. Mine didn't. If ya can explain that, go fer it. I never understood it."

"Okay. So there's something weird going on. I doubt it's something otherworldly, because that makes little sense to me. If it's some strange fluctuation of time and space that our own planet creates, through some specific time or movement, that would make a little more sense. I don't tend towards science fiction or the theories out there, so I'd have to look more into this."

"You go ahead an' try ta explain it. Tell me when ya figure it out. Ya'll have plenty of time. This happens _every_ night fer me. I'm not sure if it's the same for you. Usually, I just get another hour of sleep." Hattori took out his phone. "See? Nothin' turns on. I'm not like yer dad an' can just spend the time writin' on paper."

Conan turned at that. "Writing stays?"

Hattori tilted his head. "Yeah. I know that fer sure. I spent a few of the nights catching up on homework when something in the hour woke me."

"That's strange." Conan put a hand to his chin. "Writing stays, but is it because when you touch something here, it become a part of this time? Why would that not work the same for people or wounds though?"

"You _really_ have ta let me finish talkin'. I don't care about all that little stuff. Reason it out later." Hattori pointed over his shoulder. "Ya didn't get ta see what that was, but it's pretty much an animal, but evil. I think. They like ta chase me if I try ta go anywhere. Check this out." Hattori stopped and pulled up his pant leg. There was a long claw mark, dark against his already dark skin. "I got that a few years ago. It's healed but it wasn't something pleasant ta wake up with. Still looks like it did years ago in this time though."

Conan winced. "Does it hurt?"

Hattori shook his head. "Not anymore anyway. That's why we had ta get out of there. Usually those things won't enter homes, but I guess yer place doesn't count as a home since it's half an office."

"Hmm." Conan put his hand back to his chin as they took off once more. "This is the first time I've ever had this happen-"

"I figured," Hattori cut in.

" _But_ what caused it? What caused it for you as well? I doubt an animal bite would really do something like this. As for me, I haven't been hurt at all, so it leaves more to question."

Hattori sighed, half laughing. "Dunno, I'm just really happy I'm not the only one anymore. I always thought it was weird that I was. At one point, I actually thought I was going crazy." He patted his chest lightly. "Detective. That… I didn't start that 'cause I wanted the job at first. I just didn't want people thinkin'…"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me."

Hattori looked like he was going to before he paused, holding his hand up to his forehead for a moment.

Conan turned to him, confused as his friend seemed to be in sudden pain. There was a large growl, reminiscent of a tiger, which made him turn the other way instead.

He watched in fascination. The creature moved as a quadruped, but its feet didn't bend only one way. With its double-jointed knees, it took in a lot of ground very fast. He could see its somewhat feline body as it came charging at them. I must have had eyes, but he couldn't make it out, as all of its body seemed to be made of some dark, shadowy mist.

He was pulled out of his stupor, hard, as he felt an arm go around him and Hattori's loud footsteps start ringing out in the too quiet night, along with the sounds of the cat.

"Ya _tryin'_ ta get eaten now?" he heard Hattori breath through the effort of running.

Conan looked back, seeing the big cat chasing them. He had no idea how Hattori was managing to keep ahead of it, but the margin between them was small, if not shrinking.

"You won't be able to outrun it," Conan stated dully, blaming his own lack of fear on the strangeness of it all.

"Yeah, well I ain't gonna roll over for it neither." Hattori went towards a building, turning any corner he came across to try and throw off the big cat. The few doors they came too, Hattori would try for if the cat wasn't too close, finding them locked.

The older boy yelped when he was pulled back the way he had come. Conan had no choice but to be dragged back with him as Hattori hit the edge, where wall met window. Hattori fell back and Conan fell with him, being pulled inside a window that he heard shut just as they hit the floor.

"Shhh."

Feeling as if the world were moving at a different speed than him, Conan reached up and rubbed his head, trying to get to his knees and get his bearings back. He looked sideways at the person who pulled them in the window, glad it was a person. A lot of questions came to him after that.

"Amuro-san?"

"Shhh," the blond whispered again, raising a finger up to his lips as he looked up at the window, crouched behind the wall. "It's still here."

Conan shook his head, doubting he could see well out the window when he wasn't willing to cast his form against it. Conan would have called it a shadow but he didn't think there _were_ shadows in this world anymore

He waited, Hattori staying still beside him. It wasn't until the tension in Amuro's shoulders vanished and the man let out a breath as he slumped against the wall did Conan turn back to Hattori. "What's going on?"

"Ya got me." Hattori sat up, smiling though. "Looks like I go ta find one a ya, an' I find two."

Conan looked between both of them, shaking his head. If he didn't understand this before, he certainly was failing to understand it now. "Wake me up when this nightmare ends."

"Afraid I can't do that. Ain't no way ya can stay with neechan anymore. They kin get in there." Hattori's attention turned to the blond man as he tipped his head. "You know this guy?"

"Amuro Tooru," Amuro said as he introduced himself verbally. "And, umm. What was that just now?"

"Great," Hattori snorted. "Here we go again."


	2. New Powers

**Chapter 2: New Powers**

Hattori went back over what he knew of the shadow creatures to Amuro-san while Conan looked around the place. It seemed like Amuro wasn't at home either. This was clearly an office of some kind, though he wasn't sure what. Looking through the papers he found in one of the desks, he came to the conclusion that it was a mortgage broker who worked here. Sliding the drawer closed again, he checked the doors to be sure they were locked. He assumed Amuro-san had done it already, but it gave him something to do.

After the other was caught up, Conan came back to sit with them, catching sight of Amuro repeatedly looking at the wall as if there was something interesting there.

"Oh right." Hattori tapped Conan lightly on the arm. "On more thing. Ya know how I came ta yer place cause I said I saw that thing attack ya?"

"Yes." Conan understood now why it was so hard for Hattori to explain that, but it didn't justify him knowing it would happen either.

Hattori tapped his head. "When I sleep normal, I can see things. Most of the time I just sleep. If someone close ta me is in trouble though, my dreams tell me what happens. Works different when I'm here. I see danger in real time. It was why I was off on guessing where ya got attacked. I only really saw the after effects, so I guess I was a little off."

"I don't want to know what they are." Conan held up a hand. He could not have gotten out of that room without serious injury on his own, and he wasn't about to picture what he would have looked like if he'd been caught.

"I never used ta see things 'fore I was twelve. I guess, bein' here, even the world isn't stupid enough to leave us defenseless. Like this guy," Hattori said as he waved his hand. "You keep lookin' at the wall. What are ya really doin'?"

"Oh." Amuro looked like he'd been distracted and turned back to them. "I guess if you came out and said that, it doesn't sound so weird to say that I can see through walls."

Hattori snorted, or at least, it sounded like one. "Sounds a little weird."

"That's a bad description on my part. I saw the both of you, but I didn't see through the buildings when I did. I just saw you, as if you were a few feet from me, and saw where you were as if I was there too." Amuro shrugged. "Does that make more sense?"

"Nah, but that's one hell of a power. Is that why ya grabbed us?"

Amuro nodded. "I woke up a while ago. I think I'd have to be stupid to not notice something was going on, so I went for a walk. I didn't run into anything until I suddenly saw you both in front of me, even though you were blocks over. I have to admit," He smiled, "That wasn't a pleasant sight. I found where you were most likely to go with the route you were on and made sure I got there first."

"Thanks for saving us." Hattori crossed his legs and looked back out. "This is really weird though." He scratched his forehead. "Why is everyone all of a sudden commin' inta this time too? Heck, I don't even know why I was here to start with either. An' that attack wasn't normal."

"You said you've been attacked before." Conan went back to looking around the room. He still couldn't place where the light was coming from and was starting to believe that it might be his eyesight had changed, and not the world, as this was already making very little sense and that was easier to believe.

"Well, yeah, but that was 'cause I tripped over one 'a those damn things when it looked like a rat an' then all of a sudden it was bigger an' took a swipe at me. It's not like it chased me. I kin run, sure, but at twelve I couldn't outrun one 'a those."

"Do they always look like animals?" Amuro interjected. "I can see a few, but they seem farther away. That seems to be a commonality among them though."

Hattori nodded. "I've only ever seen animals anyway. Can't be sure that there ain't bigger baddies out there. I don't typically go lookin'. Go too far from where ya were when this time started an' ya end up gettin' really sick. I dunno why. Had ta guess it was somethin' with us just appearin' outta thin air an' throwin' the normal time outta whack."

"That makes sense. I wonder if we do the same to this time here, or it's inhabitants, when we appear. It's likely if fluctuations are caused on us in normal time, there's some equal and opposite effect here as well, though we don't feel it."

"That's a scary thought." Conan knocked on the wall. "How much can we influence our time anyway?"

Hattori shrugged. "Ya kin move stuff just fine. Doors an' windows an' all that move. People do too, but it's really creepy ta be touchin' them an' they're really heavy. Some stuff don't work." He reached in his pockets, shuffling around, but apparently didn't come up with what he was looking for.

"Oh well. Guess I'll have to use an example. Pens. After ya use the ink that's near the tip, the rest don't come down. Do _not_ eat or drink here. Matter doesn't move the way it normally does, so yer either gonna drown before ya kin swallow or yer gonna have a rock in yer stomach from whatever ya eat.

"That makes sense if the time on everything but us doesn't move as we do." Amuro closed his eyes as he thought. "It's more like we're traveling faster than the world around us for an hour, so anything that happens here will happen at one one-sixtieth of a second in normal time."

"Fer objects, sure. People are a little different. If ya move someone a little bit, an' then this time stops, they'd get seriously hurt. They don't. I'm sure they'd be a little disoriented, but I ain't seen nothin' bad happen to anyone I used ta mess with when I was a kid."

Amuro closed his eyes and Conan couldn't help looking over at him. Having a killer in this time, one of _them_ was a sure fire way to get a lot of people killed really fast. Thankfully, it looked like doing something like that would be difficult, if not impossible.

"So living things are treated differently. I suppose objects or anything moved would also have to follow those same laws." Amuro stood up and went over to the desk, taking a pencil in his hand. He moved and threw it, the pencil stopping in mid air where it left his hand.

Conan started at it, somewhat amazed. So it was as if time was stopped and it seemed they were the only force that could make anything move. The creatures here had to have the same power somehow, though why they lived alongside their normal time, he wasn't sure. Maybe that was just how things were. If it was, them being here now was an assault on the natural order of things.

"Injuries sustained here. What happens with them?"

Hattori stood up and went over to take the pencil. "We keep 'em, but anyone sleepin' in this time doesn't. I think we'd 'a all gotten eaten or at least attacked if the creatures here could'a done it."

"I see. So we can't do anything that would disturb the natural order of anything in this time." Amuro took the pencil back and tried to break it in half. When it didn't break, he set it down on the table. "The fact that we can move them seems stranger than everything else if you think about it."

Hattori shrugged and took one of the chairs away from the desk, sitting down and leaning back in it. "This whole time is one weird fest if ya ask me."

Conan felt when Hattori's eyes kept going over to him, noticing only then that he had been staring at Amuro-san a long time and hadn't moved. "What?"

"Well, I was jus' wonderin', if he kin already see through walls or whatever ya wanna call it, and I can see when someone's about ta get hurt, what kin you do? Be small and get eaten? I don' wanna go back ta Osaka, only ta find ya dead come next week."

Conan looked down at himself, turning his hands over before looking at the building around him. He shrugged. "You can see well in this time too. I could tell by the fact that you weren't running into anything on the way here. Besides that, I don't really feel any different."

"Huh." Hattori stood, putting the feet of the chair back on the floor. He went over, lifting Conan up as if trying to see something that wasn't there. "Ya really better protect yerself if these things are gonna attack ya like that. At least stay inna house where it's harder for them ta get in."

Amuro cleared his throat. "I'm currently not living in a house myself. Is it that important to be?"

Hattori turned and nodded. "There's something that keeps 'em out of houses. They kin get in here if they really wanted ta. I'm not sure if they don't know we're in here an' that's why they're not tryin'. They look like animals, but I doubt they are. I'm not sure how they'd track us."

"Can you put me down?" Conan said in an annoyed voice, tapping Hattori's arm.

"Oh, sure." He put him back down on the floor and Conan fixed his clothes, looking at them after in wonder.

"Hey." He lifted of the edge of his nightshirt and let it go, watching gravity take it. "Is that supposed to happen?"

"Ya know, I never thought about it b'fore." Hattori messed around with his own shirt, taking it off and dropping it on the floor. It fell as it normally should have, even after it left his hand. "Weird. Maybe anything on us goes with us inta this time?"

That left a lot of new possibilities that Conan would have to play around with latter. If he was to believe Hattori, this would be happening to him every night.

"It'd be hard to move around if our clothes were following another time and or gravity than us." Amuro went over to the window and opened it. "Don't worry. Nothing is nearby. I'm going to go for a walk though."

"I'm going with you," Conan volunteered right away. He'd have to tell Hattori what he knew of Amuro at some point, but right now he wasn't sure he wanted the man out of his sight.

"Come on then." Amuro-san stepped out, holding his hands down so he could pick him up and lift him out the window as well.

"As if I'm stayin' here alone." Hattori followed after them, grabbing his shirt up and putting it back on. Conan looked around some more while he had the chance. The extreme stillness of the world around him bothered him on a level he couldn't explain. The world was always moving. If this time did exist, and they simply weren't apart of it somehow, that shouldn't stop the rules of the rest of the universe.

"There's not even any wind."

Amuro pointed up. "There's a moon at least, and stars, though they're very hard to see. I'm assuming it has something to do with the ambient light this time gives off."

Conan nodded, looking up as well. He could see three or four lights that could possibly be planes if not stars. The moon was still the same though, and there were no clouds to tell if they were moving. He'd have to assume they weren't, or this time would have been shown off to the world long before now.

"Creepy, ain't it?"

"I'd settle for less horrific if I could. Do you know how many laws of nature this breaks?" Conan asked, turning to Hattori when he was suddenly behind him as he waved his hand towards the world at large. "Everything we know as a race could be wrong. There are so many unanswered questions. We clearly have gravity, and yet we have no wind. We have no animals besides whatever those black shadowy creatures were. Time itself has apparently gone out the window and flown away somewhere."

"Calm down."

Conan jumped a little when there was a hand on his shoulder. Amuro-san was bent down so that their heights were no long so different. "It's a lot to take in. Getting ourselves worked up will accomplish nothing. Now let's go look and see if we can't figure something out."

He nodded begrudgingly, trying to calm his heart right. Amuro-san was right. They had to figure out what was going on, but where to start. Hattori had apparently been experiencing this time for _years_. Conan wasn't sure how well he would have managed in the same circumstances.

The three of them set off, the town all too familiar yet all too different now. Conan didn't like it. Everything they saw seemed to back up what they'd already surmised. Noise traveled somehow, as he could hear their footsteps, but that left even more questions. If sound didn't travel, they wouldn't be able to speak though. Maybe it was another necessity this world simply needed. Or maybe they had brought sound with them. He couldn't be sure.

Amuro put a hand in front of them and Conan stopped, looking around as the man looked ahead, squinting his eyes and seeing something that Conan tried to see as well.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. I think it's one of those creatures but it doesn't have that smokey etherealness that the others had. It just looks like a large dog. I'd say it was normal, but the eyes are strange." Amuro-san shook his head and closed his eyes a moment before opening them again, as if trying to get a better look. "It kind of looks like it's looking for something. Maybe we should go back. If these creatures don't normally attack, and something has changed, the only thing I can think of is we came here."

Conan nodded, looking ahead and not wanting to turn his back on the direction that it seemed the dog creature was in. "Let's go then." He'd offer for them to stay at his home, his real home, but he wasn't about to see what would happen if Bourbon saw more than he should. That fact that he was still around when Conan figured he would have left town gave him enough to worry about.

"Kin ya see it if we turn around?" Hattori asked.

Amuro nodded. "Yeah, it's just a little harder. This is the first time I'm seeing it, so it's hard to hold onto the image. Give me a few more seconds."

They waited until Amuro-san was satisfied and started back the way they came. Conan was more on guard now as they headed back, though Hattori didn't seem worried at all and Amuro-san's gaze looked hazed over as he watched something that he couldn't see.

"Wait!"

Conan's heart jumped into his throat and he almost tripped trying to stop himself from moving forward. He saw Hattori have near the same reaction as he did as both of them turned.

"What the heck was that for? Ya scared the hell-"

"Shhh!" Amuro put a finger to his lips, blinking a few times before his eyes widened. "Run!"

Apparently not waiting to give an explanation, and neither Hattori nor him needing anything further, all three took off. There was the sound of something large crashing into something smaller, the loud bang of metal hitting something reverberating through the air.

"What is it?" Conan asked, just barely managing to keep his stride near the others, his legs shorter but his body more accustomed to running.

"I can't see much when I'm looking at one thing. The visions just overlap and it all becomes confused and- something was there. I'm not sure what it was. It had fur, red eyes, and big teeth. I figured that was enough reason to run away."

Conan looked back, hearing footsteps following their own. They were soft, much more padded, as if belonging to an animal. He wasn't sure if that was its breath that he was hearing as well, coming out in pants.

"Is it after us?"

Amuro-san covered his eyes a moment and Conan wasn't sure what he was doing. He nodded after a second. "Yes, it does seem to be just following us," he said as they turned the corner at the end of the block. "I think it's an animal. We should climb up."

"The heck is with you guys? I'm in this place all the time, an' I'm just fine. Ya decided to come crashin' in an' now all of a sudden we're gettin' chased. I don't get it!"

Conan shook his head. "I don't either. We need to figure out why we're here all of a sudden, where here is, and what it means. Running first." Conan let out heavier breaths, straining himself to keep up. Even as a runner, there was only so much distance he could eat up at this speed.

Looking for a ladder or something to help them get _up_ somewhere, anywhere, they ran around one business after the next, not willing to try alleyways and get tripped up navigating them like Hattori had dared. One person was fine, but with all three of them, if one fell, there'd be no going back.

"There!" Amuro stopped, the emergency exit on a hotel, a block away from the agency before him. "Hurry!"

Hattori reached the ladder before him, going up. A few feet up the side of the building and Conan was sure now he heard the breathing as the creature chasing them turned the corner. Able to look at it now without tripping, Conan was faced with a five or six foot tall animal, closely resembling a lion if he had to pick an animal in reality to name it towards. Its tail was too thick though, and its eyes were too large – Eyes that seemed to glow red in the pale, moonlit colored time.

"Come on, Conan-kun!" He felt Amuro grab him, placing him on the ladder He wasn't sure what came over him, but there was something about this creature that scared him, and bad. His fingers shook as he ascended, hearing the pounding footsteps as it ran towards them, hoping he could get out of its range and that, in this messed up world, a quadruped with animalistic paws couldn't climb the building.

He heard Amuro-san behind him cry out, feeling the ladder shake as he stopped moving and held tight for the few seconds it became less stable. He looked down, fifteen feet or more, at the blond man no longer behind him but on the ground, a hand up that the creature attacking him now had in its jaws.

He watched, mildly horrified, as the lion creature pulled him away as best it could, sheer mass taking on better tactics.

"Amuro-san!"

"Just go!" The blond kicked at the lion, seeming to harm it when he did. So, these things were solid. They'd have to be to hurt.

For a few more seconds, Conan only watched the fight, some inner part of him telling him to act. That's what he always did. He helped. He wasn't about to let someone – anyone, no matter who they were – die when he could stop it.

But could he stop it?

He didn't know, and had no more time to think as he slid down the ladder, landing on the ground and taking off. If that thing could be hurt, maybe there was something he could do. His shoes wouldn't work - they relied on power and momentum not being canceled out. In this time, hand-to-hand combat was the best defense, and it was a field he lacked the most in.

Hattori would have a chance. He knew Kendo. Right now it wasn't like he could go looking for a stick for the other to use though. He was sure Hattori would join in on his own.

So what could he do? Conan ran forward, not knowing and not caring anymore, grabbing Amuro-san and trying to help him keep his ground, though he knew he couldn't be doing much. Without thinking, because it worked on some animals, Conan reached forward and hit the thing on the nose.

"Ah!"

Conan nearly flew off of Amuro, hearing him make a pained noise as the lion creature shook them around. Holding onto his arm, Conan managed to stay with him, trying to get up the best position to hold his ground.

Something clicked in his mind then, something he wasn't sure had been there before, or if it had, it had been buried under thousands of years of human evolution. Not knowing what he was doing, Conan planted his feet, and he _growled_.

He was pretty sure he wasn't the only one surprised by this action. The lion creature stopped moving for a few seconds, and Amuro looked down at him with wide eyes, as if expecting another enemy.

Conan's own surprise was masked under layers and layers of sudden anger. He hasn't spent so long trying to find the people who did this to him to let some creature of some mystic time suddenly just take him away. No. He was _his_. No one took anything that was his away from him. He wasn't about to let it happen.

Whether his mind was in control or not, Conan felt the world tilt. He was still seeing everything from the same height, but his body didn't feel like it was his anymore. In another second he was running, and he felt how he was not using two legs anymore, but four. The ground beneath his feet was rougher than his shoes, and the air had a strange, burning scent to it.

He was then biting the lion creature's leg, feeling it let go of Amuro-san, who would only weigh him down in a fight. It pulled back with enough force that Conan felt when his teeth slipped passed skin and fur and were left with nothing.

Conan shifted his feet on the ground, feeling another growl in his throat, which he let out. He faced the lion creature, no longer afraid of it.

The lion creature shifted, something that was both a growl and not coming out of its throat as well. Then it charged at him and Conan dodged, nipping at skin and fur as it flew passed him. He smiled, or attempted to. He was faster. He'd win this fight. The lion creature knew it.

The issue was he knew he wouldn't be able to do as much damage as it. That wasn't a problem when he saw Hattori on its other side, holding something that looked like it might have been a towel at one point, not stuck in a time of its own and as good as any wooden sword would be.

Smelling or hearing Hattori, the lion turned towards him. Conan took that opportunity to once again bite at its front leg. The lion pulled back, and Conan felt teeth on the back of his neck, pulling him off as the creature freed itself and took a few steps back. Knowing it was outmatched, it turned and walked off. Conan growled, wanting it to run, wanting to tell it that if it tried anything like that again, it wouldn't be walking away.

Once he was sure it was gone, Conan relaxed, turning to Hattori. He only took a few steps when the Osakan raised his weapon and took a step back. Conan quickly looked around before frowning and meeting Hattori's eyes. "What's the matter?"

"Kami!" Hattori's eyes widened and he took another step back, but he looked more surprised than scared. "Conan-kun?"

Conan's frown deepened and he felt his head tip in confusion. "What?" He looked down at himself, seeing paws. They were black and covered with fine hair. He tried to look at the rest himself, his brain catching up to his body. From the tail he looked like he might be some kind of… Labrador. "What the heck?"

Hattori laughed, sitting down, some of the hysteria translating over to the sound. "I thought it ate ya. Kami. Tell me next time yer gonna do somethin' like that."

"It's not like I did it on purpose." Conan sat, looking at his tail and moving it experimentally. "How do I change back?"

"Beats me. I never knew ya could change at all. I gave ya all the answers I had. This is all new ta me too now."

"Thank you."

Conan looked up, seeing Amuro-san cradling an arm. It was bleeding from the puncture wounds of the animal's teeth and badly bruised up already. Being pulled around like that could have easily dislocated his shoulder.

"You didn't have to do that. We don't know what these creatures are. You could have died." Amuro went down on a knee next to him and smiled, putting a hand on his head. "Though I admit, maybe it was worth it to see this. You look cute as a dog."

Thrown off by the sudden gentleness, Conan tensed up before fighting down the instinct to bite _him_ as well. He shook his head, getting up and taking a few steps back. "It's not by choice. How am I even talking?" He stopped, lifting a paw up, but he couldn't make it work any differently than a normal dog could.

"Dunno. First time I seen a dog smile though, so it must be somethin' weird that just come with ya turnin' inta a dog. Ya still think the same I hope."

Conan wasn't sure. He knew he had some dog instincts now. They were the reason he had attacked the way he did. Maybe if he pushed those instincts away…

"Give me a moment." Conan closed his eyes, sitting, because he didn't want to worry about the mechanics of standing when he was focusing on this now. He thought simple, normal things, about himself and about Ran mostly. He was sure that, if Amuro could concentrate on seeing something far off, maybe he could concentrate on seeming something that _should_ be instead of that was.

"Well, that worked."

Conan opened his eyes, smiling and checking his body over, back as a human and happy for it – even if he was still pint sized. His eyes went to Hattori after.

"I suppose this is just one more new strange thing about this time. It's going to take a lot of figuring out to understand what's going on, but having it happen to me, it makes it feel more real."

"Turnin' inta a dog made it real fer you an' not just bein' here? Jeez. Remind me not ta ever try ta convince ya ta believe in somethin' ya can't see with yer eyes – and apparently things ya can."

Conan laughed lightly. "I still don't believe this is some kind of magic. Something here has to make sense, and I'm going to figure out what it is. You're going to need to go back to Oaska though. Your school won't be closed forever." He turned to Amuro-san. "I don't think the both of us wandering here alone is a good idea though. We could get attacked like we just were. Heiji-niisan should be fine on his own, if they're not interested in him. I don't think we will be."

Amuro nodded. "I don't want to have to do that again if I can help it." He winced, lowering his arm. "If what he said before about this being an hour is true though, we have less than ten minutes to get back to where we were before. I'll see you later, Conan-kun." He smiled and waved to him, turning the opposite direction that Conan would have to head in.

"Wait!" Conan lifted a hand, still unsure of letting one of _them_ wander around this time and do who knew what. If they could move things… even that alone could be dangerous. "Amuro-san, I don't have your phone number. Can you give it to me? Heiji-niisan said pens still work here."

Amuro kept on going, his hands going into his pockets. "Don't worry. I'll be by the agency tomorrow. I'll give it to you then. Phones don't work here anyway and I think I'm going to have to get this treated first."

Conan had no reason to fight that logic so he lowered his hand, watching him go. He felt Hattori's eyes on him before he turned to face him, making sure Amuro-san was out of sight first.

"What did I miss?"


	3. Lost in Thought

**Chapter 3: Lost in Thought**

Once they were safely back at the agency, Conan examined the door. There were no scratches but the door itself was tilted in. Having Hattori look at the bolts, it seemed like nothing was bent or broken, just forced out of place by something that had to be big enough to do it that was on the other side.

Conan opened the door, going in with Hattori and closing it. It wouldn't fall over when time started, but he didn't want to be the first one touching it either. Hattori could at least catch it and fix it after.

"This is all very strange." Conan sat by the bed, rubbing his eyes. He was still very tired from the previous night, and he didn't think he'd be getting much sleep tonight either. "I have no idea how you kept this a secret for so long."

Hattori shrugged. "Like I said b'fore, I usually sleep through it."

"I can see why you wouldn't go advertising it either. Moving in this time, you can prove it if you wanted to. You'd have gone from one place to another and not many could explain why. Keeping it all to yourself though… you said you were in therapy, right?"

Hattori nodded solemnly. "Ya, but it wasn't like it was that bad. My parents just thought I was goin' through a rough patch with school an' it's not like I actually told the lady what I was experiencin'. I figured either they think I'm crazy fer a bit, or I get treated like a freak fer bein' able ta do what I can. It was a friend 'a mine from school that actually talked me inta stayin' quiet about it. Glad 'e did too."

"Those things seem like they can't interact with us normally. This is their time. I don't think you getting bit, then, is why you're here. This all started for me when I had a nightmare the other night. I don't know if I was in this time or not then. I either wasn't or slept through it like you do."

"Okay, if I didn' come here 'cause I got bit, what was it then? An', since ya brought it up, what have you been doin' recently ta have this happen ta you too? An' 'im. He almost got killed just then, so I don't think 'e was lyin' about bein' new ta that power of his, like he is."

"Well," Conan thought as he scratched his head. "We were all just on the train together, but it wasn't like it was just the two of us. Ran and the old man were there too, and so were a whole bunch of others. Before that, Amuro-san wasn't really near us. That's assuming this happened to the both of us at the same time though."

"Ya both came here on the same day. Figure it's got somethin' ta do wit that, otherwise it don't make much sense, now does it?"

"Ah!" Conan scratched his head harder. "Than what about the others? Why aren't they here too?"

Just as he finished asking his question, time seemed to come back. Conan smelled the scent of the room again, the quiet breathing of the man next to him, and the louder, obvious sound of electricity that most people have ignored in their daily lives. He didn't realize how much he missed its quiet hum. That hour was far too quiet.

Conan let out a breath, feeling how tensed up he must have been without realizing it. He wouldn't be able to stay here, he knew, for a while. If those things were after him and they were willing to come here tonight, tomorrow was fair game as well.

" _Ya know_ ," Hattori whispered, likely reading his worries in his gaze. " _Ya could always stay wit me. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind."_

" _I have school too, and I can't do that to Ran. I'll figure something out. I'll stay at the doctor's for now._ " It was a house and it was close and it wasn't as if he hadn't stayed there before now. He could easily just say he was sleeping over with no questions asked.

Conan tipped his head to the door, seeing if Hattori could fix it. The screws just need to be put back into place.

The Osakan understood, getting up and trying to be as quiet as someone like Hattori could as he fixed it. The door open was all Conan needed to be able to squeeze by and leave the room. He needed coffee, and as long as Hattori was here, he wouldn't have to deal with any questions that came from it.

He waited, getting the coffeemaker ready and hearing Hattori's footsteps as he came in the agency door and through the main room to the kitchen.

"Ya could'a told me you were leavin'."

"We couldn't talk while occhan is sleeping and there are still things I need to figure out. Coffee helps."

Hattori snorted and rolled his eyes. "Don't let neechan blame me when yer up all night."

School tomorrow seemed like a terrible idea, but maybe the normalcy would help. It wasn't the worst place to get some much-needed sleep either. "What are you going to do while I'm gone?"

"I dunno. I don't usually come over when ya've got school. Maybe I can hang out with Mouri-san or Hakase. Not like I can't find a way ta kill some time, an' the detective might need help while yer gone." Hattori's grin was far too bright. Conan was coming to see how accustomed the other had become to simply accepting the way things were and dealing only with what he could control.

"I'd still like to try and figure out how this all started. I doubt you'll remember everything if you were only twelve, but I have more to work with, and with Amuro-san involved, more connections to make and more resolve to stop it."

"Why? Seemed like he could take care of himself. Ya told me he was one of the bad guys, sure, but it's not like he'll be able ta do anythin' more than we can fer that hour."

"He's one of them. He could take that time to enter most buildings he normally shouldn't be able to. I'm sure security, even stopped in time like that, will be able to keep him out of most of them, but not all. I'm going to need to talk to someone tomorrow."

"Hey, Kudo." Conan felt Hattori tug on the back of his shirt. "Is that blood?"

Conan tried to fix his shirt back into place. "It's fine. It's not that bad and I dealt out more than I received."

"Like hell if I care about that!" Then Hattori was fighting him for his clothes and it was a battle Conan knew he wouldn't win. A few seconds later and he was minus one top, feeling far too cold in the kitchen, since they didn't keep the heat on down here when everyone was upstairs.

"At least it don't look that bad."

Conan felt cold fingertips trace over sensitive skin and tried not to wince. He couldn't really fell the puncture marks that well, so he had assumed it wasn't that bad. Hattori restating that fact didn't help him in the least.

"Have fun explainin' that if anyone sees ya without a shirt though."

"As if anyone would." Conan snatched his top back, putting it on before the Osakan got any more ideas in his head. "I _told_ you it wasn't that bad."

Hattori shrugged. "Had to check." If there was one thing the other teen was bad at, it was owning any inhibitions of any kind.

"So, sounds like ya want me ta go back home and let ya handle this. Ain't gonna happen 'til it's gotta. With all the ideas in yer head, I figured ya came up with somethin' ya wanna check out."

Conan nodded. "There was only one place I was recently with him so I want to check it out. With likely repairs, the train should be stationed somewhere out of the way. Finding out where is going to be a little more difficult. You can help with that though." He smiled. "The train I was just on _was_ based after the one from Agatha Christie's novel. I'm sure you want a look at it for that reason alone."

Hattori frowned, bending down with his eyes narrowed. "Now why were ya on somethin' like that without tellin' me?"

"We only had so many seats and they came from Sonoko. I wasn't about to give up my spot so there was no way you could have come anyway. I'm sure that Suzuki-san won't mind, and I doubt he's going to use that train to lure Kid out again."

"Kid? Okay, now I know yer keepin' stuff from me." Hattori reached out and poked him on the side of the head. "Thanks fer keepin' me up ta date on everythin'."

"You're not my mother," Conan retorted back with a deadpan expression. "Anyway, I don't' see why he wouldn't let you on, to show it off some more at the very least. If he's busy we can always just ask him where it is and check it out if it's close by. Bikes should work in this time, even if yours and my skateboard won't."

"Fun." Hattori yawned. "We're savin' all this fer the mornin' though, right?"

"Get to sleep if you want." Conan heard the coffee machine finished and got himself a cup, having to be careful with the slightly large and hot pot. He went to the main room of the agency with it, taking a seat on the couch after putting it on the table to cool. He put his hands up to his chin, thinking. There was so much to consider now, and very little time to change his plans.

"Anyone ever tell ya that ya work too hard?" Hattori sat down next to him, slinging one arm over the couch while he slouched back and closed his eyes. "I'm not sure what I kin do ta help, but I'm here fer the next few days if ya need me or have any other questions that I kin answer."

"No, I'm fine. I think I understand as much as you do, considering I've spent far less time examining that time period than you have." Conan smiled and looked over. "Some detective you are."

"Hey… it ain't my fault. I told ya what I knew an' I don't really like thinkin' about that time, so it ain't easy. Remember, I've been the only one in it, that I know of. I ain't see anyone else, but it's not like I'm that close ta many over here. Bein' the only one all this time… it was better ta just ignore it and sleep through it than question it."

"I'm pretty sure you went into some form of denial to keep yourself sane, yes, and I can understand it. I wasn't trying to insult you." Conan turned forward again, back to his internal thoughts. He could go over to see Akai now, but Ran would worry. After school, as long as he said he was going to be at the professor's a while, would normally be fine, but Amuro-san had said he'd be coming over and Conan wanted to be there when he did.

"I'm going ta bed. Wake me if ya need me."

Conan didn't even grace him with a nod this time. Hattori knew that he heard him.

He didn't know how much longer it was as he sat there and thought, changing plans around so that he could keep his secrets, at least for as long as he needed to. It would require a lot of work once he woke up, but it could all be done in a day.

Letting out a breath and looking out the window, Conan relaxed, watching the sunrise. He knew he'd be sleeping through class for sure now. Even if he'd been able to go without sleep at a teenager, in a kid's body it was far more difficult.

…

School dragged on far longer than even Conan could have predicted. Haibara was bright eyed and bushy tailed so that meant the other kids weren't going to give him any leeway when he fell asleep this time. Having been woken up half a dozen times, having fallen asleep purposely only the first time, Conan found himself dead tired, walking back on slow, heavy feet.

"Yo," Hattori greeted him, waving a hand as he walked in the agency door. Occhan just stared at the television, a beer in his hand. "It looks like ya got turned inta a raccoon."

"Shut up," Conan said quietly. He got out his phone after looking around. "No one's here?"

"Not yet. Whatcha up to?"

"Just calling someone." Conan stepped back out the way he had come. "I'll be right back." He went upstairs, checking for Ran before calling Akai-san. He wasn't about to risk him, even if the FBI agent didn't believe his warning. A hotel for the time being would be safer and his mother could put him up in one safely under her name or a false one.

That done, Conan went back downstairs, yawning. He opened the door, going over to the couch to sit by Hattori. They'd both fallen asleep there last night, and it looked like he hadn't moved much. Conan was happy with that idea, leaning into it and closing his eyes.

" _You kin sleep. I'll wake ya if he gets here."_

 _If_. There wasn't a better word for it. If it had been anyone else, Conan didn't have to worry. He knew that one of _them_ could easily not keep their word, and it looked like Amuro-san had purposely gone off before them to either check something out or make sure they didn't know where he had gone. Conan wouldn't mind knowing where he lived but Azusa-san hadn't had any ideas when he asked her, and apparently he picked up his checks at the shop, so they didn't have his mailing address.

"Ya know, fer a bad guy, he doesn't seem that bad."

Conan turned to Hattori, curious. He knew what Amuro-san was capable of from the other day. As a detective though, he wasn't that bad. He wasn't too sure how he felt about him as a person. "People aren't inherently evil, and there are some that are outright and don't think so. Humans are complicated that way. Just because he helped us doesn't mean he wouldn't put a bullet in our heads if he was told to."

"I was jus' sayin'" Hattori waved him off. "I know ya got some weird kina relationship with that lady too, an' she ain't killed ya yet. It's just strange." The Osakan sighed. "Maybe I just like it better when bad guys are bein' bad guys."

"They'd have been arrested by now if that were the case. They're too careful." Conan peeked an eye open at Hattori. "What happened to letting me sleep?"

"Sorry, sorry." Hattori laughed to himself. "You kin. Didn't mean ta keep ya up."

Conan let out a breath, closing his eyes again. As long as Hattori and Ran's old man were here, he didn't mind so much dozing off until he was woken. Maybe it was the fact that Hattori had a point that Amuro-san hadn't gone out of his way to hurt him that let him really rest. For now, at least, they weren't outright enemies.

…

There was a knock Conan wasn't sure he heard as the door opened. "Sorry I'm late, sensei, but I had to go do something."

Heart rate now up to twice its speed, Conan turned around on the couch as Amuro-san walked in, closing the door. He didn't have a cast like he expected, but he was wearing long sleeves that covered his arms and any injury there.

"Don't worry about it. There hasn't been any cases lately anyway." Mouri looked up from the television, his expression bored. Clearly it wasn't Yoko or a race that he'd been watching.

"That's okay. I got off early today and I figured I could help out a little at least." The blond man replied, reaching one hand into his pocket and pulling something out. It looked like some sort of folded up paper and Conan eyed it as it was handed to him. "Here. You wanted this number, right?"

"Hai." Conan hadn't expected to really be given his number. He knew that occhan didn't have it, as Amuro-san simply came over whenever he wanted to. He looked at the phone number before taking out his phone and inputting it in there so he'd have it in two places. Maybe he could do something with this.

"Amuro-san?" Conan saw Ran for the first time today as she peeked her head out of the kitchen. "It's late. You don't need to help. Are you going to stay for dinner?"

"If you don't mind." Amuro smiled, very disarmingly. Conan had to wonder about that, looking at him. How many people had he fooled simply by acting far too nice? On some level, it was real, which made it even scarier.

Instead of going to the kitchen, Amuro sat down across from them on the other couch. He seemed like he wanted to talk but instead he just leaned back and turned his attention to Mouri. "I'm getting pretty busy so I might not be able to come by as much as I used to. I hope you don't mind."

Mouri waved his hand at him, still watching the screen. "Yeah, yeah. Do what you have to. Just come when you can."

Amuro smiled again, turning back to them and letting out a breath as he leaned forward. His words were just quiet enough that Conan knew Mouri would have to strain to hear them. "Have you noticed anything strange today?"

Conan frowned for a second, wondering what he could mean. He saw Hattori shrug from beside him.

"Nothin' stranger than normal."

"Huh." Amuro-san sat back up a bit, thinking to himself.

"Why? Did something weird happen to you?" Conan wanted to know what information the man had been trying to fish for.

Amuro shook his head. "I'm not sure." He moved his arm a bit. "I don't know if it's from the injury or not, but I've been seeing double images on and off today. I was wondering if you had been too, since you were injured as well."

Conan shook his head. "I've been tired today but after I slept it went away." He was seeing fine now, and he had been through most of the day after that first nap, as interrupted as it was. He was very interested in that hour though, and with the current 'time' sorted out, he'd like to discuss the other more. The issue was doing it with Bourbon. He'd rather get more opinions, but having knowledge far beyond his years would be telling to someone he couldn't trust. It left him very torn.

"It must just be me then. I'll see it if goes away come tomorrow."

Conan nodded, looking at the old man before deciding that he didn't care. "Have you ever heard of Plato's Theory of Forms?"

"I've skimmed it in his writing before, though I've never thought myself much of a philosopher."

"I got no idea what yer talkin' about."

Conan looked over at Hattori. "It's a theory, in a nutshell, that our world is an imitation of a perfect one, and everything that exists here, truly exists somewhere else, but without the imperfections of our known world. It is said that, where the materials in this world are concerned, there must be a third part or more to them that exist somewhere else that makes them truly perfect, as we can not ever reach perfection here."

"Jeez, I see why I ain't heard of it. Not like a place like that kin really exist."

"You don't think that the time we experience might not be that third part that our reality is missing? I was wondering about it last night. Those creatures, if those are the perfect Forms of reality, than our animals were created from them, not them from us. It makes the other time, or world inlaid on top of ours, the reality that came first then, that ours is simply being molded after."

"If that's true, we shouldn't be able to experience it, and if we did…"

Conan nodded. "It would change us, as it has. It's the only explanation I can up up with. That as imperfect beings suddenly in a world that we have no place in, some of the elements of it are messing with our own. Thus, the strange powers were all experiencing. This theory, however, is unsound in the fact that we all experienced it differently. Odds were if that was-"

"Okay, okay. Hold up." Hattori held a hand to his head. "Don't 'nutshell' me. In this theory a yers, is the world really supposed ta be our world still? 'Cause the buildin's and everythin' didn't look like they changed ta me."

"Precisely. I think it's some third, independent world of both realities, or else something that I can't get my mind around. There are a lot of other theories that could be put to it as well. As another, imperfect version of our own reality though, that would be there was a third perfect version, or even more, that our reality stems from."

"That's a lot to think on." Amuro didn't question his knowledge, closing his eyes a moment. "The fact that we're now imposing, or being imposed on, by that reality though, says something has going terribly wrong."

Conan nodded. "That's assuming, since it's pretty clear that we were never meant to see that kind of world, or any other reality that could exist. While I'd hate to reference something I don't believe, I've been thinking on Solipsism as well. I'd rather believe in another existence on top of ours than that though."

"Ya lost me again. Solipsiisisism?"

"Solipsism," Amuro corrected. "It's based off the fact that we cannot guarantee the reality of anything besides our own consciousness. You seem like more a television person. The idea follows that we are all conscious, we know this, but we cannot ever be truly certain of the reality of others. That fact that we can touch and see objects, hear and taste them, are all functions controlled by our brain. Others can easily manipulate such things, as we've proven. Chemicals do the best job of this but impulses can be controlled as well. It's the same idea some recent television programs have shown where people who are stuck in a video game can actually experience reality, and would never know the difference if that were simply their existence."

"So… it's people believin' were in some kinda reality we're not really in 'cause someone wanted ta mess with us an' none 'a this is really real? That's messed up."

"Yes, it's like that, except to me, you and Conan-kun there would be false imitations as well, and I the same to you, since you cannot know for sure that I am truly here anymore than you can know I am."

"Assumin' that we're all real people and that, somehow, we really are experiencin' the other time, how are we supposed ta stop it? Seemed like ya didn't want ta be."

Conan nodded. "It throws a lot of our world and reality off if it continued to interact with us the way it is. I'd rather base my ideas in reality for now. If there was a way for us to enter that time, there must then me a way to exit it. While I can understand some things are not reversible, it is worth it to try and find out what is." He looked up at Amuro-san. "We were thinking of going to the train. I know you were on it with me, and before that, I haven't been experiencing the time. I know there was some kind of accident. Maybe that had something to do with it."

"It's worth looking into. When did you want to go?" Amuro tipped his head. "I've got my car if you wanted a ride."

Conan coughed. " You know where he has the train?"

"No, but I don't have to. The train isn't what's important. If it was, everyone on it would have been affected rather than just us. I'm not sure if it had something to do with proximity, but I believe that the accident on board is the only probable thing that could have affected it. Even that I would normally believe would have affected everyone, so I'm not sure why it's only the two of us."

Was it only them? Conan had to wonder. He hadn't outrightly asked, but Akai-san would have said something to him, right?

Conan sighed, getting up off the couch. "It's getting late. We should at least go check it out."

"Finally, somethin' I kin get behind." Hattori got up and stretched. "I say we stay a little late, see if anythin' changes. Might be we can only see certain things in that time. This time I'm bringin' somethin' with. If they're attackin' ya guys for some reason, I'm not gonna be creature bait."

That was another thing that confused him. Hattori had been experiencing this time or reality for a while. If he and Amuro-san were getting attacked while Hattori wasn't, something must have been different with their inclusion. For now, all he had was questions and he hoped that, maybe tonight, he could get some answers.


	4. Darkling

**Chapter 4: Darkling**

Conan sat in the back seat with Hattori. He would have sat upfront but right now he wanted to think. Knowing what happened wouldn't be strange, since it was common knowledge that one of the cars had exploded. Where it had happened though would have been telling, and Amuro-san would be in the same situation as him. If he brought up an excuse, Conan would let him have it this time. It wasn't as if he could do the same and expect the same.

There was so much to think on and a lot of it would change the very way he looked at the world, be it because of a theory or not. He had to separate that time from his own. It wasn't natural and he wasn't sure how it could be used against him if left alone.

Thankfully, the drive was silent, and Conan found himself growing a bit depressed. If people like Hattori had been able to visit this time before, how many people had used it for their own greed and ambitions and no one had been able to do a thing about it? It was a robber's greatest dream – a world of targets that couldn't fight back.

"Conan-kun."

Conan looked up. The car was stopped and the other two were looking at him. He smiled and got out. "Sorry, I guess I was just thinking on other things."

He heard the others get out as well, looking around the houses they were near. The track would be on the other side, past the small forest. He wondered if they'd be able to find anything there. It was a few days after the explosion, so the police would have cleared away anything that could have given them some type of clue, or it would have fallen off the bridge.

Speaking of which, he hadn't heard that the bridge was closed. It must not have suffered too much damage.

"It's farther in than it looks. When they built the railroad, they didn't want it to bother the people in the town. It would be easier if we had a faster way to get through the forest. If not, we're in for a twenty minute walk."

Conan shrugged. "That's fine. We're planning on staying here all night anyway. The later we get there the better." He wasn't sure which why they should go and he noticed Amuro-san take out his phone. GPS. That'd work well enough if they were on a street. He supposed it couldn't be all that bad for walking either though.

It was dark and the forest was no brighter. Conan took out his watch, lighting the way for them.

"Nice watch." Amuro looked down at him. "Where'd you get it?"

"The professor made one for all the Shounen Tanteidan." Conan pulled on his shirt. "We have communicators too, but I'm way too far for it to work out here." It was better to make it seem like they all had them, which they did, than for the man to question why he had some of his more specialized items.

"It must come in handy."

Conan nodding, knowing most of his words would have to be guarded around this man. Hattori seemed keen on keeping his mouth shut, which was all the better for him. He wasn't sure how far Amuro would take any utterance of 'Kudo.'

Leading the way, as the other two didn't bring anything to help them see in the dark on this impromptu trip, he followed Amuro-san's guidance when he went too far off course.

"Hey." Hattori looked around the ground. "Tell me if ya see a big stick 'er somethin'. Ya guys should probably get somethin' too. We'll need ta stay out 'a the way of those creatures if there are any here come midnight."

That was a great point. If they were going to be out here, it was better to be out of the way. The trees would be the best hiding spot, but they gave a poor advantage if any of the creatures could climb.

"The tracks themselves should be fine. We'll see anything long before it gets to us, and we can defend ourselves if necessary."

"I don't need a stick. That other one caught me from behind. It won't happen again."

Conan looked over at Amuro-san. "You're a hand to hand fighter though, aren't you? Doesn't your arm still hurt?"

"Yes, but I'm sure if it saves my life, a little muscle pain is the least I can put up with." The man looked down at him and smiled. "Are you worried about me, Conan-kun? You shouldn't be. I'll be fine."

Conan was worried, about all of them. With Amuro injured and the best thing he could do was turn into a dog, unless it was a one on one fight again, he wasn't sure how they'd fair. Most animals lived in forests, and he wasn't sure if the creatures followed the same logic.

"Don' worry. I was on the ladder last time too. I'm ready now." Hattori punched his hand into his fist. "An' I kin fight hand ta hand if I hav' ta too."

"I feel so safe knowing you're both there to take on creatures that seem bent on causing us harm and live in a pocket dimension of time and space that we understand nothing about."

Hattori grinned. "Good, we're fine then."

Conan rolled his eyes, looking in the darkness once more to be sure there weren't any real animals that might try to go after him as well. The last thing he needed was to run into a rabid possum on top of all of this.

The train tracks were black lines of darkness cutting through the trees as they reached them, the moon clouded over and barely able to reflect any light upon the metal. Conan walked up the small incline of mud and rocks to stand on top of them and look down the tracks.

"They're up and running again, aren't they?"

"From what I heard they had them fixed yesterday." Amuro-san came up beside him, looking in the same direction. "We probably don't' want to be caught on the bridge if a train comes before it gets late enough."

"There shouldn't be any running this late. The few that are will be express trains and be traveling on a different line." Conan followed the wood-striped path forward, hearing Amuro-san behind him. He looked back to see where Hattori had gotten to, seeing him follow the track near the trees, looking for something. They hadn't picked up any 'weapons' to use, so he was likely scavenging.

"Why do you think it was only us?"

Conan looked up at Amuro-san, his hair the brightest thing about him at this late hour. "I've been wondering that too. If anything were to ever make any sense, I assume it as something to do with this time that set us apart from the others. What that something is though, I'm not sure."

Amuro's lip turned up in a smile. "We're smarter than the others. That's one common factor. Hattori-kun seems to be running on a higher intellect as well, though not by much."

Conan laughed nervously, wondering if intellect did have something to do with it. He wouldn't be the only one in that category that was on that train then. It also left out the question why that was being taking into consideration. "I'm sure there were lots of smart people on the train."

Amuro stopped, looking like he was thinking a moment before taking out the phone that he had put into his pocket after they reached the bridge. He showed it to Conan for a moment. "Mind if I make a call? It shouldn't take long. I just want to reach them before the hour so I'm don't call them before they go to bed."

Conan nodded. "Sure." He had a call he wanted to make too.

Conan watched Amuro-san walk a distance off so his call wouldn't be heard as Conan took out his phone and did the same. He put it to his ear, watching Hattori come over.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm just checking something. I'm sure he is too." He doubted he could get any information spying on Bourbon right now anyway. The tree line was too far and the man would hear him coming.

' _Hello?'_

Conan shushed Hattori. "Hello. Sorry for calling so late. I know I called you earlier. You moved just fine, right?"

' _Yes. I doubt you'd call me for something as simple as that though._ '

"Did you notice anything… strange last night?"

There was a pause of silence and Conan put his hand to his forehead. He really should have asked Akai-san this earlier. He thought the man would have shared something like an hour of the day that shouldn't be there.

' _I take it you did too or you wouldn't be asking. What about it?_ '

"Did anything happen to you."

There was another pause, this one shorter. ' _No, why? Did something happen to you?'_

Akai-san wasn't attacked? It seemed like whatever was at his door was definitely after him. Amuro-san had gotten attacked too. If they had all had this happen to them at the same time, why hadn't Akai-san?

"Be careful tonight. We are talking about a strange blue hour that seems to have rules of its own come midnight, just to be sure, right?"

' _That is what we're referring to, yes, though Yukiko-san seemed to have no idea what I was talking about when I contacted her. At the fear of sounding mentally unstable, I held off talking to you._ '

That made slightly more sense. So, his mom, for one reason or another, wasn't a part of this either. He, Akai-san, and Amuro-san, were though.

"Be careful tonight and tell me if anything happens tomorrow, okay? I think it might be important."

' _Sure. Anything else?'_

"No, that's it. I'll talk to you in the morning." Conan hung up and turned to Hattori. "Seems we're not the only ones that were affected. I wonder how many on that train were."

"'Least we know it has ta do wit the train now, 'er with you." Hattori shrugged. "All 'a the people seem ta be connected ta you some how."

That… that was something to think about. His mom should be connected to that commonality as well then, but it didn't seem she was. Her intelligence was at average level, so maybe both had to be taken into consideration.

"Ah, I don't know. It's a lot to think about. Right now the only thing that seems to be common is that everyone affected was of a higher IQ."

"Huh, really? I guess I'm not really around the guy much an' ya didn't say anyhin' 'bout 'im bein' smart. Guess he'd have to be to get away with wit what 'e does. Wasn't that girl with ya on the train too though? She had ta be smart ta be workin' wit 'em."

Conan let out a breath, slouching some. He hadn't asked Haibara at all either, and of course she'd be someone that would keep something like this to herself. "Okay, before this turns into a day of making phone calls, let me think of anyone else. My dad wasn't there, or I'd call him. My mom wasn't affected, so anyone like her wouldn't be either."

Was there anyone else he would have counted as 'smarter'? Vermouth for sure, but he doubted Bourbon would give him that kind of information. Maybe if he asked it on the sly, he could at least get part of an answer.

"Anyone I'd count above average would be either members or the police. None besides those that are here or likely being contacted now were there. The only other one… was probably Kid." Conan shook his head. Kid in this time. He didn't even want to think about the consequences of that. "Damn, and it's not like I can contact him." He did still have to drop off his phone. Conan had been kind of surprised he hadn't done so already. Maybe this was why.

"It's not like I can get him to sit still now, and I doubt he'd listen to me anyway. If intelligence really is the deciding factor, those would be all the ones I know of that were on the train that could be possible." He started dialing Haibara's number. "And we'll see if I can at least verify two more."

It took a few rings but Haibara picked up, sounding tired. ' _What do you want? It's late_.'

"This is going to sounds a little weird but… did something happen last night? I mean, were you and the professor up after midnight?"

Haibara sighed over the line. ' _Yes we were. I suppose you have answers as to why?_ '

"Not yet. I might have found a commonality now though. Thanks. I'll call you back in the morning. Make sure you keep the doors and windows closed." He hung up, hearing her say something over the line. He had more important things to think on right now though, and they'd he safe in a house if what Hattori said was true. "Amuro-san had the right idea. It seems like that's what happened. Why does nobody _tell_ me these things."

"Same reason ya didn't tell them, ain't it?" Hattori shrugged. "So they wouldn't think ya were crazy, or better yet, so ya wouldn't pull them inta danger wit ya. Makes sense ta me, an' as one 'a yer friends, I think I know what I'm talkin' 'bout. Ya get inta _way_ too much danger."

Conan couldn't fight him on that so he stood, putting his hand to his chin. He heard Amuro's footsteps as he walked towards him.

"It seemed like you were having an important conversation so I didn't want to interrupt. What was it?"

Conan looked over at him. "A few of my friends said they noticed the time too. You called for that same reason, didn't you? What did your friend say?" It was an easy enough question and neither of them were naming names. Hopefully it would be enough to get an answer.

He watched the blond man pause, his smile falling as he turned to rub his mouth with his hand, likely giving himself a few more second to think.

"Yeah, it seems that way, though my friend went out-of-town that day, so I had also asked them if I could stay there for the time being."

 _Damn it._ Akai was at an apartment now, not his house. He'd have no safety from those things. His expression must have said enough because the other two were looking at him with worry.

"You okay?"

Conan took out his phone and texted Akai-san. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just forgot to do something before I left." He couldn't offer his home to Bourbon, even if he thought it was a good way to keep his eye on him. Haibara was too close and they finally thought she was dead. He wasn't going to bring up more doubt.

"We should get going." Out of the trees, since none of them needed his flashlight, Amuro took the lead. Conan let him, finishing the text before following after, Hattori having stayed by his side.

" _What really happened?"_ Hattori asked under his breath.

"I really forgot something. It's my bad." Conan leveled his eyes and let out a breath. "My _friends_ should tell me what's going on before I screw something up otherwise, so it's not really my fault."

Hattori smiled and shrugged. "Whatever. Ain't my fault either."

They both followed Amuro to where he stopped, fresh tracks and dirt having been laid where the others must have been destroyed. Conan looked at the area, seeing nothing strange. He sat on one of the ties, looking at his watch before staring up at the clouded sky. "We have an hour. I don't think we'll be able to find anything with all of this new stuff here, and I'm not even sure we'll find anything after either."

He took out his phone for likely the last time tonight, looking at Amuro. "Do you mind if I tell Ran-neechan I'm sleeping over at your place?" Lying and saying he was at the professor's to this man might have him looking over there at some point.

"Sure. You can tell her Hattori-kun is staying over too. I have a one-room apartment though. I don't think you'll really be able to fit in there."

It was as good as saying they weren't invited over, and Conan didn't need one anyway. They could walk to the professor's as long as Amuro-san dropped them off at the agency. It wasn't that far. "It's fine. We can go back and say you dropped us off early."

Hattori yawned and laid down, wincing and clearly uncomfortable between the rails. "Wake me 'fore it turns midnight. I might jus' close my eyes. I'm not gonna try ta fight tired."

Conan felt his shoulder drop slightly. That was a good idea, but if he fell asleep, he'd be giving an organization member the chance to grab his phone. "Sure."

"You looked pretty tired when I came over. You can rest too if you want." Amuro sat down on the other tie across from him, smiling and far too friendly.

Conan shook his head, trying to shake off the fatigue as well. "I'm fine. I slept before you came over."

"Yeah, fer like two hours. Ya didn't get much last night either." Hattori half sat up, meeting his eyes. "Ya sure yer okay?"

"I'm sure." Conan was getting a little annoyed. Hattori didn't need to worry about him and the key there was that he _did_ get sleep. He wouldn't be a burden.

"Okay then." Amuro lifted a leg, now showing how uncomfortable he found their arrangement as Hattori did. He lifted a hand and rested his head, closing his eyes. "Getting a bit of rest seems like a good idea."

Conan stared at him. He doubted Amuro would really go to sleep in front of him, but for an organization member to be so close and… He shook his head, staring out over the bridge. It really was a nice view. He'd deal with his temptation when he couldn't easily be killed for overstepping the line.

With the other two out of it, he was left with the task of checking the time every so often. Ten minutes before midnight, he went over to Hattori and made sure he was awake. Amuro had opened his eyes at the sound of his footsteps so he hadn't bothered with him. "Wake up."

Hattori groaned and got up. "What fun. Get ta fight monsters on a bridge at night. Feels like we're in a video game."

"If we were, we'd have swords instead of sticks." Amuro went over, grabbing one of the larger branches Hattori had brought over, and threw it to the Osakan. "I say we get back a bit. If something did happen that changed our reality, it was here, and I don't want to get stuck at the crux of it."

That was a good idea. Conan backed up with him, wondering what would happen this time. He didn't even know how he'd changed into a dog the first time, and had just been happy that he'd been able to change back. Whatever kind of power he had, it must have some kind of control. Hattori didn't seem like he could control his, but Amuro-san did.

Midnight fell and it was as if the world blinked. One minute, everything was normal. The next, the moon made no difference to his sight, every tree and grain of dirt taking on a light of its own. If it wasn't for the complete lack of any type of shadow existing, he'd say it were similar to the daylight.

The tracks in front of them were the only thing that didn't hold any of this light. They were black, darkened to the point where he couldn't tell one object from another. He reached forward, touching the ground between the ties and seeing that it didn't take on any light when moved away. Putting the dirt back, he looked at the blackness now covering his fingers.

Touching them together, it didn't seem to wipe it away. Something about that fact scared him, and he found himself rubbing his fingers in the dirt, finding that nothing changed. He backed up. "Don't touch it."

"I wasn't planning to." Amuro looked down at him, worried. Hattori was the one that moved though, on a knee taking his hand.

"That's so weird." Unlike the rest of the world, Hattori's fingers were warm against his skin as he prodded it. "I've never seen nothin' like this b'fore."

"I have." Conan tipped his head towards Hattori. "Your leg."

"Well, yeah, but that's 'cause that thing got me. All you did was pick up some mud."

"I suggest, since investigating it seems a bad idea, that we take a few steps back." Amuro-san did and Conan agreed with him, getting away seemed like a really good idea. He couldn't say why, but it was the same, human fear, that told you not to go into a dark alley. The unknown, as it was, could hold a fear all its own, all the more when darkness was connected to it.

Conan was scared, but it was a curious type of fear. He wanted to know what was going on, even if he wasn't going to touch it again. Hattori didn't seem to have any more fear than he did.

Why, then, Amuro-san was trembling and looking like he was going to be sick, he wasn't sure. The blond even went so far as to put a hand up to his mouth – a shaking hand. Conan wasn't sure whether the blackness or an organization member looking like they were terrified was more interesting.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Amuro took in and let out a few short breaths. "I just can't get them out of head that well. Sorry. I think I need to get back more."

Conan frowned. "Out of your head?"

Scared eyes met his, a bit of confusion in them now. "You don't hear that?"

Conan shook his head, seeing Hattori shake his own as well. He looked back at the darkness. Maybe touching it had done something to him, and since Hattori looked like something dark had already touched him, it could have the same effect.

"Touch just a little of it, like I did. Maybe it will stop."

Amuro shook his head, taking a few more steps back. "No… I… I really don't want to. I have a really bad feeling that I shouldn't."

Conan saw Amuro-san's eyes narrow at the same time he heard something growl behind him. He spun, nothing in his hands to wield, though Hattori and his stick weren't that much more intimidating.

Before them were two creatures that looked similar to mountain lions. They held more animalistic characteristics, the only thing differentiating them this time was their black bodies. Why some of them seemed more realistic and some didn't, Conan wasn't sure, and now didn't seem like a god time to figure it out.

"Hattori, besides yesterday, I've never fought these things. Do you think we can take them?"

Hattori shook his head and shrugged, his eyes not leaving the approaching animals. "I dunno. I told ya, I never really fought 'em either."

Why? Why were they suddenly being chased? Did this have to do with the train? Him?

"Hattori, I'm going to ask you to do something, and I want you to do it, okay?"

Hattori nodded, looking down at him uncertainly. "Okay, but why do I not like the sound 'a that?"

"Because you might get hurt. The stick. Put it down."

Hattori's eyes widened. "Now, why would I-"

"Stick. Down. If you need it, I'll throw it to you."

"Throw it to-"

"Hattori! There is no time to talk about this! Are you going to do what I ask or not?"

Hattori dropped the stick. "Fine. If we die, yer gettin' it from me."

"Go up to them. You're wearing shoes so, if they get black on them, I don't think it will be that bad. Go past them and don't look like you're ready to hit them, If you need help, I'll jump right in."

"If I need help I'm runnin' back and yer stayin' here. Ya come help me as a dog and that black ain't never gonna come off."

Conan nodded. That was fine, and now that Hattori said it, he really didn't want to try fighting those things over the black area.

Hattori went forward as the mountain lions did. They were watching each other, but neither slowed. The fact that they weren't being chased said a lot that Conan couldn't figure out. In attack range, neither cat picked up its pace. Hattori could touch them as he got close enough, both passing him as if completely uninterested in him.

Conan let out a breath, seeing Hattori do the same. That was it. They were only after the ones who had been on the train. He'd have to test this out on the others, but right now it was a safe bet that something was up with these creatures and either Bourbon or him.

The blond was the one attacked the other night, but that had been because he was last up the ladder. Conan could judge nothing with that. The man was hearing things that the other two weren't though, and that could mean something.

The agency and the room he was in were sought after, likely by one of these things. He was followed after that, and only Amuro-san grabbing him stopped that thing from getting him.

Whichever of the two or both that these things were after, he wasn't about to let them do anything without a fight. He felt himself growl in return to some of the low ones he was hearing from them. A dog against a mountain lion, on its own, didn't look too promising. Bourbon was clearly too distraught to use his own powers and warn them. It would come back down to Hattori and him then, and this time they had one more enemy. As he thought all this, feeling himself become a dog again simply by how many feet he had touching the floor, he knew things didn't look good.

" _ **So many**_."

Conan wasn't sure where the voice came from, but it was feminine. That was about all he could say about it in any way he could possibly convey to someone else. The words themselves felt like they made his very bones shake when they were spoken, and they felt _old, ancient_. He wasn't sure how, but they did.

The mountain lions stopped as well and the look on Hattori's face said it was probably worth it to turn around.

Ignoring the danger as if it weren't there, his curiosity far too strong, Conan turned around and looked at something that he could only call a wolf. Its eyes were white, milky gray around the irises, separating them from the black form of the body. Like the lion, it had black smoke coming off of it as if it were less solid than it appeared. What really set it apart was, unlike the others, this thing was near as big as a house.

Standing a good fifteen feet above them, Conan felt very small, hearing a whimper he hadn't meant to make come out of his throat as he backed away, not near enough the black area to risk stepping in it, but knowing that even if he had been, he would have stepped back anyway.

" _ **Hello, young ones of the day sun. What are all of you doing here?"**_

Conan felt any words he wanted to speak stay stuck in the back of his throat, the voice shaking him and the very floor beneath his feet.

" _ **It does not matter."**_ Taking a few steps onto the bridge, it ate up most of the distance that had separated them, looking down at the blond who was visibly shaking from head to foot, some sort of resolve in his eyes before he stood and took a few steps back, closer to Conan.

"Stay back!"

The wolf smiled. Conan wasn't sure how a wolf could smile, but it made just as much sense as him being able to speak.

" _ **You know we've come for you, See'er. Do not be frightened. It is destiny, the way of life. It means yours ends here and now, by my hand."**_


	5. Target

**Chapter 5: Target**

Amuro-san ran.

Conan didn't know why he was only able to do it now, but the second the man passed him, he was at his heels, ignoring the black ground beneath his feet.

The mountain lions stopped being so stationary, growling and turning to block that path as they came beside them. Conan wasn't about to wait and ask nice to get by, jumping at one of them with what speed he managed to build up, feeling his teeth sink in near the back of the throat of the one on the right and hearing it roar at him.

The distraction was more than enough for Amuro-san to run around, the other mountain lion turning to take off after him, faced with Hattori instead.

Conan cursed the coward, getting thrown around a bit and having to let go, getting his stance back and doing all he could not to fall in the blackness.

" _ **Why do you flee? You cannot escape us. You will never outrun us. This is our world. We are everywhere."**_

Conan stopped mid-jump as the wolf spoke again, causing his body to freeze up. He found himself uncontrollably angry for some reason, turning to it with a growl in his throat.

"What do you want with us? _!_ "

It was enough to make the wolf stop, having only taken a stride towards them. It looked at him as if he were some new strange creature that, to these new strange creatures, he might be.

" _ **You should not be here. It was an accident that you have come here. Ignore us and focus on your own world. We will focus on ours."**_

"As if! You can't just go after us!" Conan snapped his teeth. "What do you want, with any of us?"

For a few seconds, it looked like the creature might not respond. It tail moved behind it like a wave, somehow embodying the creature with a strange beauty.

" _ **You are here by our design. I am not able to remedy this any longer, as you are tainted with our darkness. Find a true healer of your world. Once free of the taint and our gateway closed, you will be free of our time once more. Heed my words."**_ It wrinkled its nose, bearing some of its teeth. " ** _Your friend is ours though._** "

Even if he'd been in his right mind, even if he understood it, this wolf clearly meant to kill Amuro. Member or not, Conan wouldn't allow this. He growled, feeling half of it get choked off. He didn't fear much, but with all his confusion and some strange, instinctive nature, he _did_ fear her.

The wolf laughed, or it sounded like one. It shook the ground far more than her words had and Conan had to shift his stance to better keep his balance.

" _ **Sun child, do you think you can fight us?"**_

He could certainly try. He growled again, making sure he didn't break it off this time. He heard footsteps, Hattori at his side and pointing his stick at her.

"Ya don't mess with us. Back off!"

Hattori was crazy. Then again, he must be too. There was clearly no way they could take her on. He didn't even think they could take on the two behind them.

The wolf laughed again, Conan feeling Hattori put a hand on his head to keep himself steady.

" _ **Very well. You fight your fight. The See'er is ours. We will have him, as we have had the other See'er before him and all the See'er after him. Your world is nothing but a hatching ground, with us waiting and watching in your shadows for the right egg to come along. It seems we caught far more than we were intending. You will not be as filling, but we can use you as well. You will know death unlike any your small mind can imagine. Are you sure you want to take on this pointless battle?'**_

Conan wasn't sure. He didn't want to die. Looking at her, knowing how many more there were out there, in the trees, in the water, in the air… This was a fight he could not win. There was starting a battle he knew he would have little help gaining support on, and then fighting one he knew he'd lose.

To save the life of just one person, one they wouldn't end up saving in the end even if they tried, one that had likely killed countless other himself… was not worth it. But it was a life nonetheless.

Hattori said nothing either and the wolf took another step, Conan felt the fear wash over him again. She did not hit them though, stepping over them and calmly walking further along the bridge.

The remaining mountain lion waited, following in her wake after.

Until she was on the other edge of the bridge, Conan found he had been unable to move. His legs felt stiff when he shifted, his instincts pricking up enough to tell him to get off the black ground. He kept walking until it was feet from him, sitting down and trying to get his mind back together and human. He didn't want the animal's fear distracting him.

"Kami." Hattori sat down next to him, hard, as he dropped the stick. "The heck are we supposed to do? That big wolf could'a killed us with one swipe."

"I know," Conan said numbly, looking over to the other section of the forest. It seemed as if the wolf was looking through the trees. "And it very well might killed Amuro-san. I'm not too sure how we can hide from them."

"It's not like we kin stop it. We get in there an' were just gonna be so much blood on the floor come mornin'." He heard the Osakan punch the ground, turning to look at his friend and all the anger he held. "Damn it! There has ta be somethin' we kin do."

"I don't even understand this world. We have some information now. Maybe we can look into it when we're out of here. As of right now…" Conan watched the forest once more. He wasn't sure how humans could just sit by and watch someone die. It was killing him inside. "I don't see how we can make a difference."

"I can help."

Conan jumped to his feet, seeing Hattori do the same.

He let out a breath and swore as his heart continued to race. "Haibara, what are you doing here!"

"As if your strange phone call wasn't enough to get me out here. The professor's waiting with the car. I don't think he saw that." Haibara tapped the glasses on her face, staring at the large wolf in the distance, more amazement than fear in her eyes. "To think something like that exists. It's amazing."

"It's a killer," Conan growled, hearing the dog's rough vibrations in it. "That is not amazing."

"Not to you, maybe. But it's not as if it's a senseless killer. You would both be dead if it was."

Conan's brain woke up a bit. "You said you could help?'

Haibara nodded. "Not for long though. The most I can do is trick it for ten or so minutes. It should be enough if you can tell me which direction your friend went in. That is, if I _wanted_ to protect someone like that." Conan glowered at her but in a few seconds she smiled and shook her head. "I'd never hear the end of it from you if I didn't help though, and I don't think I want to put up with you mopping around the place. Where did he go?"

"I don't know," Conan said as he shook his head slowly. Amuro had tried to take Haibara back, even if he hadn't known it wasn't her. He wasn't sure what kind of fate would have been left for her there but he didn't think it would have been pleasant. Offering to help the man who could have easily taken her life couldn't be a simple thing to do. "How can you help anyway?"

"The same way I'm assuming you turned into little bow-wow just now. You should be glad I saw him before he ran off. Your little picture you showed me the other day would have never been enough." Haibara closed her eyes and Conan wasn't sure what she was doing. In a few seconds, a spectral image of Amuro-san started to form. Slowly, it became more solid. Haibara let out a breath and opened her eyes to look at them. Conan would swear it was the real thing if not for the blank expression.

"It seems I can't do people that well. It's better than nothing though." She raised her hand and the doppelganger ran forward and off into the distance. "My illusions aren't very realistic, and they don't last long, but it should be enough to distract them while _all_ of us get out of here."

Conan nodded. It might just be enough, yes. Getting out of here was also a very good idea if the wolf did start to chase the spectral creation and realize she'd been tricked.

Getting off the ground, Conan looked at his hand as he stood. It was all black, as was his other one, some of the top still a peachy skin color. "Oops."

"We kin worry 'bout it later. I'm still black too anyway. Better ta be in this tagether than alone." Hattori grabbed him and crouched down. "Git on my back. I'm faster than the both 'a ya an' we need ta get outta here."

Conan shook his head and smiled. "Just take her." He closed his eyes for a few seconds, thinking dog-like thoughts, before he opened them again, all four feet back on the floor. "Now I'm faster. Let's go."

Hattori shook his head and that was the last thing he saw before he ran off.

While staying ahead of him, he listened behind him, making sure to remain just as fast as Hattori could keep up with. Where sound didn't exist here unless they created it, smell did. Besides looking like a dog, he'd apparently picked up some of its traits, and was able to follow a scent he recognized as 'Haibara' through the forest with little difficulty.

His mind on other things now, and the fear gone, it felt like he hadn't been running that long before he reached the forest's edge. He lopped at a steady pace, looking around the houses to make sure there wasn't danger while Hattori caught up.

The Osakan was out of breath and panting. "Remind me not ta race ya ever again."

Conan smiled, still feeling very much like a dog as the fur tickled his lower lip. He was breathing a little fast, but nowhere near the gulps Hattori was taking. "I said I was fine on my own."

"Do you think you can look less like you just got out of the pound?" Haibara straightened her clothes where they'd been ruffled while she was carried. "You'll scare the professor."

Conan nodded, closing his eyes a moment, trying to let go of his new senses, and opened his eyes again. He made sure to check he still didn't have a tail or anything. "That shouldn't be so easy. I wonder if all our power are mental."

"Huh? What do ya mean? Ya turn inta a dog, that ain't mental."

"No, but I have to mentally will it. It's a physical transformation, but only in this time. I doubt I'd stay a dog once it changed. I think, in this world, we're taking on an 'imitation' of our bodies. My power makes it easier for me to change mine. My real body, when I'm a dog, is still there, just not as physical."

"I guess that kinda makes sense." Hattori straightened up, looking back. "Kin we finish with this 'gettin' outta here' part 'a the plan?"

"Yes, let's." Haibara moved passed them. Conan knew where the car was from the direction of the scent before he changed, but he followed her, looking back at the forest and the creatures in it that they could no longer see.

"I hope 'e gets out too, even if he ditched us. I was kinda ticked when 'e did that, but that thing would'a killed 'im. It wasn't after us."

Conan nodded. "What we need to do is find out why. It called him a 'See'er', and we know he can see from a separate location without having to be there. Maybe they want that for some reason. How they could take his power from him though, I'm not sure. It sounds like they have to kill him to do it."

"An' we ain't gonna let 'em."

Conan sighed. "Not tonight, if he gets away. How we can stand up to something like that though, in its own time and dealing with different rules, I'm still not sure. Finding a safe place to stay come tomorrow night sounds like a good idea. I think we should all go to your place, actually, if you don't mind." He wasn't sure how far they could travel or how well they could track, but a different place far from the train and their last location sounded like a good idea. "I think it was at the agency because Amuro-san's been there so much. It likely tracked him by scent and got me on accident."

"I did see ya dead that one day. Could be why. Kami, ya guys go from makin' me feel great ta not bein' alone here ta wishin' it was back that way."

"Portal. It said there was a portal, and it called us tainted." Conan looked at his hand, studying the darkness. "I assume the black is the taint it was taking about. I'm guessing that the place on the bridge my also be the portal. It didn't seem like Amuro-san was able to see the mountain lions before they were right on us, so that makes sense."

"Wow, somethin' makes sense. Great."

Conan laughed lightly, the sarcasm lifting his mood some. "At least we've got a bit more information, and something we can do."

"Knowing you, we'll either all be fine or we'll all be killed." Haibara stopped and turned towards them as they reached the car, the professor behind the wheel though obviously awake and opening the door as they reached it.

"What happened?"

"It's a long story. I guess we have time to cover some of it though." Conan looked up at the sky and surrounding area. He had little judge of time right now, but by his best guess there were only around ten minutes of this time left. "Let's talk in the car."

They all got in and Conan started to explain what had happened from last night to tonight. He also shared some of questions. He knew that they didn't have any more answers or suggestions than he did, but it was good to hear them said aloud. He didn't want the professor or Haibara involved in this but they might have to be. Judging by her power, it seemed more and more likely that she'd have to be involved at least.

The professor had a strange power all his own. Conan watched as he started the car, turning the heat on.

He started at him, dumbstruck. "You can make electricity or batteries work in this time period?"

"Seems so. I have to be touching them though. Too bad. I could have given you all something better to defend yourselves with."

Touching, or by extension being connected to, since there were many parts of the car that would need moving energy to work. Maybe he could use that in some way. It was far more imposing on this time than any of their other powers were.

Then time started up again. Conan's sight being near cut in half with the darkness was a stark contrast to the vision the internal light gave off. He breathed a sigh of relief, happy nothing had gone after them. Looking out the window, he couldn't be too sure how the confrontation had ended.

"Drive forward a mile or so. If Amuro-san comes back, he'd head for his car. Walking in circles and missing him in the forest is pointless."

" _If_ he made it," Haibara spoke darkly.

Conan stayed quiet, having the professor park behind the white Mazda. He didn't know how long they'd have to wait so he opened the door and leaned against the car, giving himself the best view he could of the northwest, where Amuro would have to come from.

Hattori got out as well, though the others stayed in the car. He bent down near him and Conan heard his swallow.

" _Hate feelin' sick like this. Good thing we didn' go that far."_

Conan didn't even notice the he wasn't feeling well. It took Hattori saying it for him to feel how unsettled his stomach was. He had assumed it was because of how he had run away.

"It's not that bad. Did you get hurt tonight? I couldn't see everything."

Hattori shook his head. "You?"

Conan shook his head as well. He'd been knocked off but the mountain lion hadn't had the chance to fight him back.

He didn't feel like making conversation right now. He just hoped that, like so many others, this hadn't been the last time that he'd seen Amuro alive. There was still so much he needed to know, so much he might be able to get, but mostly, so many reasons for people to just keep on living without having it cut short by someone or something else – no matter who they were.

An hour went by before Haibara got out of the car. "It's getting late and it's cold. Get in."

Conan didn't want to. They'd only had to travel from the bridge back, and they'd been running. That had also been in pocket time. Amuro would have been running the opposite direction and he might have been injured. "Give it another hour."

Haibara sighed but went back inside and closed the door. Hattori shifted and sat down in the grass.

"I don't think 'e's comin'."

"Normally I'd be a realist and say that he wasn't too but he was running on adrenaline and he's faster than you. He could easily have gone far out of his way to escape. In that hour, I'll agree with you. For now, I'm going to stay right on the possibility of him coming back."

Hattori snorted and smiled, laying back in the grass. "'e dies an' were fine. But no, knowin' you 'e's gonna come back and we're gonna take on the god of all wolves. Remind me ta keep a score 'a all the times ya almost git me killed so ya can't complain when I ask ya fer help."

"As long as it's a case, I don't mind." He never had. Hattori could just stroll right in and say something was up and he'd be interested. Anything obvious and Hattori would never take it on anyway.

Only half that hour passed before Conan spotted the man. He stood straight, his eyes apparently better than Hattori's, and ran over to meet him. He heard the Osakan behind him swear something about him running off before he heard his footsteps too.

The other didn't run towards them and Conan stopped a few feet away, looking him over to make sure there was nothing different about him. At this point he wasn't sure anything he once believed was merely fantasy hadn't stayed that way.

Amuro smiled before laughing a little. "It's me. I'm not one of them in disguise or something. I'm sorry. I don't know why I ran like that." Conan had the feeling, under different circumstances, most organization members wouldn't have run from much. Conan knew where he was coming from though. He had felt the same fear and the creatures hadn't even been interested in him.

Besides having a few scrapes on his face and looking like he had gotten in to a pillow fight with a bush, it didn't seem like the man had come out of the encounter any worse for wear.

"Good ta hear. Now we gotta do somethin' about killer wolves an' dark animals." Hattori scratched his head. "Great. Jus' what I wanted ta do wit my week off 'a school."

That made the other two laugh, to one degree or another.

"We really do have to figure out what to do. Amuro-san, do you think you can get some time off and come to Osaka with us? I'm sure a life or death situation is a great excuse to miss some work." Conan hadn't discussed this with Hattori's family, but hopefully they wouldn't mind. They could easily lie up a good reason if they had to.

"Funny. I was thinking of getting away from Tokyo. The Kansai area sounds wonderful." Amuro's body shook some, and Conan had to wonder just how scared he was. While he normally wouldn't have thought any of the members could act that way, being thrown into the story of Little Red Riding Hood when you were just a little girl and there was a hungry wolf out to get you, and you _knew_ just how much it wanted you dead, would unsettle anyone.

They only walked a few feet when Conan noticed how much Amuro kept stumbling. He stopped after a few more and looked up at him.

"Are you okay?"

"Tired. And just as the time was about to end something found me. I'll be fine, I'm just sore right now. Don't take on a ram when you have nothing to defend yourself with. Hattori-kun, you're not, by chance, old enough to drive a car, are you?"

Hattori shook his head. "'fraid not, but if ya don't care so much about 'legal' I kin get yer car back."

"Better than me driving it. Can you handle manual?"

"Ah…"

Conan sighed. It wasn't as if he could offer. He knew the professor couldn't drive manual to save his life or he'd tell him to switch with Hattori.

"It's fine. Just keep me awake then, if you don't mind accompanying me. It looks like you've already got someone here to pick you up."

"We weren't sure ya'd be back," Hattori offered as an explanation, and a good one at that. Telling him the professor had been here before hand would be hinting at what he could do and Conan wasn't sure how much he wanted to share.

"Glad to see you believed in me," the man uttered with a small breath of a laugh. How he could be smiling right now, Conan wasn't sure. Maybe it was just the thrill of having survived.

"We can all fit in the professor's car if you don't mind leaving yours here. I don't think you should be driving." Conan wasn't about to lose him to an accident either.

"Mmm. I guess it'll be okay. I can get someone to pick it up later. Do you mind if I go back to the agency with you?"

That surprised him before Conan realized that Bourbon probably didn't want him knowing where he was staying. "Sure."

Conan opened the door to the beetle, seeing Amuro look inside. He didn't think any of the three had ever seen each other before now. There'd never been reason to and now that was one less safe zone for him to have. Since Hattori had gotten in the other door, Conan found himself in the middle, the door closing as he started to reassess the dangers now in his life.

"We have to give Amuro-san a ride. He can't drive his car right now."

The professor looked in the back mirror. He knew the old man must have a lot of questions, but he gave him no sign of distress. Bourbon hadn't done anything yet and they needed to get back. No one else would be able to drive his car other than the owner who looked more like he would pass out than make it a block.

"Sure, no problem. Where am I taking him too?"

"Back to the agency with us."

Amuro bowed his head marginally. "Thank you." The professor bowed his head in return before driving off.

Ten minutes in, Conan found himself in a situation he never thought he'd be in. He had an organization member next to him, hurt and defenseless, and _sleeping against the door_ , his phone right there in his reach.


	6. Tactical Retreat

**Chapter 6: Tactical Retreat**

Amuro-san woke up as they pulled up to the agency, He rubbed his eyes and Conan watched him wince as he moved.

"Amuro-san, are your ribs hurt?'

The blond man smiled, wiping away any showing signs of fatigue he'd just had. "Just a little bit. I'm fine." He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out, holding the door opened for Conan.

Conan peeked back in the car. "Thanks for the ride. I'll talk to both of you later."

"You had better. You have a lot of explaining to do."

Conan gave her a wary smile, his eyes lidded. "Of course I do."

The door closed and he started up the steps with the other two, this time the blond in the back. He couldn't go up to his room or the old man would see him, so that meant sleeping downstairs. There were only two couches. Great.

The old man didn't lock the door. Conan was very surprised when simply twisting the knob had it open. He had been about to ask Amuro to pick it for him, since a child knowing how to do it was saying too much.

" _Jeez, one day someone's really going to get that guy. At least lock your own door."_

Hattori snickered behind him. "Seems Neechan was more worried 'bout you comin' home than checkin'."

That made Conan blush and he quickly went in, waiting for the other two and shutting the door He locked it himself, though it was mostly pointless now.

The others were looking at the couches with the same realization that Conan had before.

"I don't mind sleeping on the floor. It's too late to go back to my place and I need to figure out how to get my car back in the morning."

Conan would have stopped him just for the fact that he had hurt ribs and the floor would be less forgiving, but the couch had the same drawbacks. "I don't mind either. I'm kind of small to be taking up the whole couch."

"I'm goin' ta bed. You guys fight over who gets the floor." Hattori took a couch and laid down, letting out a breath.

Amuro smiled thinly and looked down at him. "I really don't mind and it will help keep me on my back. Right now I'm too tired to be fighting with a kid over this too, so I'm going to get some sleep and talk to you in the morning."

Conan nodded, though he wasn't exactly happy. Maybe it was because, on the couch, he couldn't watch the other well. The man had a point though, he was far too tired to fight with him over it so he got up and turned on his side, closing his eyes.

…

The morning light came far too soon and Conan groaned, shielding his eyes the best he could. He didn't want to wake up yet. Honestly, he would rather everything that had happened be a dream and wake up to that, but going back to sleep wouldn't make that happen. He blinked his eyes, sitting up slowly and looking around.

Hattori and Amuro were both still asleep. Waking either wasn't a good idea, as one would never shut up about it and the other likely needed the rest. He got off the couch slowly, making his way the long way to the front door and using slow movements to make sure the click of the handle wasn't heard. It was very slow going but he got it open, stepped out, and slowly let it go without making too much noise. He let out a breath once on the other side of the door and his hands free.

He had a lot to do today, talking to Akai-san being one of the major ones. He'd do that now, before the others woke up. He wasn't sure what part they were all playing in this new game, but there were two pieces he didn't want anywhere near each other, even if one of them could be a lot of help.

His house, the Kudo house, wasn't far from the Mouri's though he was likely seen by a handful of people before he made it there. He rang the bell, not waiting for Akai to answer as he used his own key and let himself in.

The house was dark and the man he came to see was barely down the stairs and rubbing his eyes, the fake glasses he normally sported resting on top of his head while his disguise kept his eyes mostly closed. "Did it have to be first thing in the morning?"

"A lot happened last night." And it had. He found out a bunch of information that he didn't know what he was going to do with. "First thing, what are your powers in that time period? Everyone who's affected seems to have them."

"Since you told me to look out for myself last night, I hardly got any sleep. You could have waited." The man yawned before heading towards the kitchen. "If we're talking, it's going to be over breakfast and you're explaining yourself first. Obviously there's danger out there that I haven't been involved in yet and I hate half a story."

Conan sighed but he followed him into the kitchen. Now that he thought about it, he was pretty hungry. Starting at the beginning with what Hattori had told him about that strange hour seemed a good place to start as the FBI agent cooked them both breakfast. They were well into eating by the time he got to the end of his story, filling in Akai with everything he had learned last night.

Akai seemed contemplative for a time, mulling over everything while Conan looked for a better way to go about this. Obviously they needed to find some way to close that portal. If that was indeed what kept their realities connected, along with that blackness, he'd have to find something that would be able to reach both time frames, or someone who was already a part of the extra hour that would be able to close it off at the same time. That didn't seem likely and he had no idea how to get in touch with anyone who could do anything without sounding crazy.

"If they're after him, getting him away is the best idea. I'll be able to help you and look around here then. The both of you staying shouldn't put you in any danger if you weren't attacked already. Like you said though, there is no knowing if there are more of these shadow creatures and moving him far away might not let him protect himself. Hattori-kun has visions. I'd say leave the two of them together, since he'd at least have some warning. What more we can do here though, I'm not sure. I'd like to have a look around too. I was on the train, but I was with her the whole time. Why it would pick me and not Kudo-san to throw into this pocket dimension, I'm not sure."

"I was afraid she was a part of this as well. That is a whole other mess I hope to avoid. She hasn't said anything, but I'm going to check in on her later to be sure. I don't remember doing anything strange while I was on the train besides being with you and my mom on the phone for a while. Haibara was asleep most of the time. Ah." Conan scratched his head. "I just don't get it. Those creature are clearly after Amuro, so what do we have to do with any of it? Was it just because we all knew him? He and Sera-san have met, so maybe she is a part of this. I don't know."

"In any case, maybe it's best we simply check on her when the time draws near. If she's not involved, we'll know. Like you, I'd rather keep her out of this. I'm not sure how she'll react. So far it's him, you, me, Ai-chan, and the professor that we know of for sure. The other kids might be involved if she is as well, and I'm not sure who else on that train could have been connected. Your mother didn't know what he looked like, did she? If it was only people connected to him that are now experiencing this other hour, then everyone who's ever seen him and was on that train will need to be checked out."

Conan grunted. He really didn't want the Shounen Tantei-dan involved in this. They could get killed and with the way they all liked to stick their nose into things, they'd never stay home if he told them too. That was just three more he didn't need in his way.

"That aside, nothing that any of us can do will help us much fighting those creatures. Hattori's powers are more of a forewarning, as are Amuro-san's. I think you're right and they should both stay together so he doesn't get spirited away while we're figuring this out, though Hattori won't like it. My power is more physical, but I can hardly do much as a dog unless I can somehow make myself bigger. Ai's power is more for distraction and we can't use it to fight or help seal up the portal unless she can somehow use illusions to fight. The professor can probably drive a truck into one of the creatures if we needed him to, but that would be luring it and hoping that a vehicle can do any real damage to it."

Akai shook his head. "My power wouldn't be any better. I wasn't going to mention it because I wasn't sure I even had anything until you started speaking about the different abilities, but I believe I can turn myself invisible. I hadn't been sure that I simply couldn't see myself when that other time came around but it makes sense if that was what was happening."

Invisibility. No, that wouldn't help them any except if Akai-san wanted to escape on his own or something. Or get close. Conan didn't see that ever coming up so he dismissed it. "So, any ideas on what to do about the portal?"

"I'm less worried about that and more of this 'taint' you were talking about." Akai reached over and grabbed his arm. Conan was surprised but let him, the man looking his hand over and seeing nothing. It was like it didn't exist normally, just like those creatures didn't. "Do you think they have some way of affecting you with it, or do you think it's benign?"

"I'm hoping for the later but I can't be sure. Hattori's been attacked before and has the same blackness. If they could use it to change us in any way, I think it would have been obvious in him before now." Conan took his hand back, looking at his palm. "We'll have to worry about it later or find a solution that takes care of both problems."

Akai nodded. "And a problem almost bigger than dealing with that is Vermouth was also on the train and would of course of known her own partner. I don't want to think of what she's been able to accomplish in a time that no one else is a part of."

Conan sobered. It was a dark thought, and one he'd already thought on. She couldn't do that much damage unless whatever power she's acquired allowed her more freedom then it did them. She wouldn't be able to harm anyone, but she could always travel and happen to be just where she wanted to with a gun or other weapon in hand when time started working again. "By the way, I got a look at some of Amuro-san's deleted texts, thanks to the professor. He seems to think you aren't really dead again."

Akai smiled and opened his eyes a bit, showing off the green there. The man was terrible with the colored contacts he and his mom had tried to get him to wear. His eyes were just too sensitive for them. "He would have sooner or later. I didn't leave my body behind. I promise I didn't tip him off though. I was tempted to get in his way but I stayed where I was, just like you asked."

"Funny. His texts say he thought he saw you in the hallway. It would be hard to be in two places at once."

Akai blinked a few times, widening his eyes more. "I saw him pass my door a few times but I never left the room after we hid her in there. I wouldn't have wanted to give my position away or risk Vermouth getting hold of her again."

Conan frowned. He had believed Amuro when he texted that information to an unknown member but had he been lying just to open up the case again? He didn't think so. Even she had waited until the train to act against Haibara. It seemed out of character for Amuro to lie without proof. "If he didn't run into you, why would he say that? He wouldn't lie."

"So he told the truth. Someone on that train was dressed up as me, _again_ , and wanted to rail him up." Akai shrugged. "What other reason would there be?"

But the only ones on that train that knew about Akai, be him dead or alive, were Ran, him, and the other organization members. He wasn't sure how well the members got along but he was sure it was well enough they weren't sending each other along a dead end.

"Or," Akai added. "They wanted to distract from Sherry. I was clearly his target before she was. Maybe they were afraid he'd try to take her in instead of let her die."

That was an option. He had had his phone record the audio and heard the conversation between Ai, Kid, and- crap. "Damn it!" Conan hit a hand to his face. "If it's people who knew him, I added Kaitou Kid into the mix. I needed his help on the train to fool Amuro-san."

Akai laughed. "I'm sure the thief won't get himself into too much trouble. You said they weren't after us."

"I know but I don't want to know what havoc he's wreaking." Conan let out a breath. "That's something to take note of. Now, what was it that was bothering me?" He had been on the trail of thought of something. Right, the phone call. Amuro had seemed like he wanted to take Sherry in, even after he'd discovered the bombs. If Kid hadn't walked in there himself, Vermouth never would have gotten away with it. So what? Had she set someone else up to make sure Sherry had no way out? That made a lot of sense and the picture only darkened. "So, aside from Vermouth, we likely have another one of _Them_ that was on the train."

"That would be my thought as well. There's nothing we can do about them or the thief. Right now we have to focus on closing that portal. Getting an extra hour of sleep at night is helpful, but I'd rather things stay in the reality I know and can deal with without wondering if there something out there trying to kill me. We don't know if they'll stop after they kill him with us invading their world, and in such numbers that they clearly aren't used to."

Conan liked talking to Akai. He got more ideas that way and felt more like they were on the same level, so he didn't have to shoot down stupid ideas. The only issue was where it came to the supernatural. None of them were versed in that, and he had no idea where to find someone that was. He leaned back and let out a breath, knowing Hattori would be waking soon if not already up and be freaking out because he left. "I wish we had some place to start."

"Occult websites won't be too hard. It's finding anyone local that would be the point, and even harder finding out anyone that could actually do anything. I've never had to believe in magic or whatever we're dealing with before." Akai shrugged, not looking at all as put off by the strange goings-on as Conan was. "An ad in the paper wouldn't be a bad idea, but I have no idea what we could make it say that wouldn't have a lot of delusional people calling us, not that I'd be giving out my phone number."

Conan wouldn't want anyone like that having his number, either of them, anymore than Akai-san would. "It'd be hard, but finding out what other powers anyone else involved in has might be of value. I can't do much with mine other than fend off any attackers and probably run away. The same can be said for yours. If all of them followed that same pattern, we'll never get anywhere. I wish I'd been able to ask more questions."

There was a silence for some time, neither of them having any new ideas. Conan's phone rang, making them both jump at the noise. He looked at the screen, saw it was Hattori, and declined the called. He texted him instead, telling him he'd be back soon and nothing else. He let out a long, tired breath. "We're still at square one."

"No, more like five. We know what they want and we have plans to keep it from them, as well as knowing more about the pocket time and how we can influence it. Square six will get us all the way home when he find out how to cut ourselves off from them." The FBI agent lips turned up in a cocky, if not subtle, smirk. "Ne?"

Conan shook his head but had to smile too. Okay, they weren't back at the beginning, but he still had no way of progressing. It was the same as being at a standstill and not solving the problem. He stopped and blinked a few moments, his eyes widening slightly before falling part way closed in thought and confusion. "Wait a minute. If it's people who had anything to do with Amuro-san, Ran should have been in the time with me when I first woke up too, and she wasn't."

"Maybe it was people who had anything to do with Bourbon then. It would explain why your mother doesn't know either. She went on the train, probably having no idea who he was even if she had seen or heard of him from you."

That did explain a lot more. It also let him feel a little relieved. Ran didn't know Amuro-san was Bourbon and the kids didn't either. Ai-san had heard him on the phone, like he had, and the Professor had found out near the same time, since he'd needed him to watch the walk way for him. The explosion of the car was where the blackness, or portal, was. They were all thinking about him around that time. Maybe that had something to do with it. If it did that made a _lot_ more sense and explained why they'd be connected to him. "Sera-san was unconscious while I had just woken Haibara, so that should mean that we don't have to worry about her. Kid won't interfere with us, but I'm betting he'll come to me at some point looking for answers."

Akai opened his eyes a bit more. "He knows you personally?"

"Kind of." It was a long story and one Conan didn't want to get into right now. "Anyway, since we have no idea how to go about this, I think I'm going to ask the other two back at the agency and see if we can't come up with an idea. Call me if you get one yourself. I'll be back later tonight as long as I can get them both on a plane and out of here."

Akai nodded and stood up, stretching. "I think I'm going to get some more sleep if you're going to keep me busy tonight too."

Conan let in and out a breath, thinking that might be a pretty good idea for all of them. He got up and let himself out of the house, knowing that he was going to have his hands full this week. The walk back to the agency was quiet, though not as quiet as it had been earlier that morning. It was near eight when he opened the door to the office and found it empty. He looked around, making sure nothing was out of place, before going towards the kitchen. "Hello?"

No one was there.

He backtracked, heading upstairs. No one was in the sitting room and the old man's door was open, the man himself gone. Ran was just coming out of the bathroom when he nearly ran into her.

"Oh, Conan-kun." Ran stopped and put her hands in front of him, making sure he was okay. "What's the rush?" She paused for a moment, looking down at her uniform. "Hey, shouldn't you be ready for school? It looks like you haven't changed out of your clothes since yesterday."

Right, school. He hadn't been thinking about that at all. He could easily call himself out if he had to, but not in front of her. That would come later. "Ran-neechan, where did everybody go?"

Ran smiled at him, holding her bag to her side and fixing her skirt. "Dad got a case early this morning. Amuro-san just happened to stop by when the call came in and Hattori-kun wanted to go along. They left about half an hour ago. You, mister, have to go to school though." She grabbed his arm and Conan was dragged towards the old man's room, getting handed clean clothes and his schoolbag. "March."

"Ah, wait." This wasn't good. Conan wasn't sure he should leave the three of them together. He didn't know what would happen if Hattori went and said the wrong thing without him there. Ran was forcing him down the steps after he changed though and he had no idea where this case they went on was. "Please wait, I need to use the bathroom!"

Ran stopped and huffed out a breath. "Fine, but be quick. I'm going to walk you to school today to make sure you don't get sidetracked."

Conan smiled, mumbling something uncertain under his breath. He headed back up the stairs and into the bathroom, taking out his phone. It rang twice before the Osakan picked up. "'ello?"

"Hattori, what the heck do you think you're doing? What about Osaka?"

"Ah, Kudo. Don't worry 'bout that. We kin always go right after. Neechan said ya had'ta go ta school anyway. I'll make sure ta stop by first an' grab ya." There was a snicker on the other end of the line. "Don' worry, I'm here. Ya kin rest easy an' have a good day in class."

" _You_ should be in class too," he reminded him.

"Yeah, but ain't like I'd make it in time, even if I left now. I'll talk to ya later." There was a click and the line went dead. Conan stared at the phone hard before putting it in his pocket. He walked out of the bathroom, Ran on the other side. He sheepishly smiled and followed her down the stairs. Hattori should be fine on his own. He'd talk to him about what he and Akai-san had come up with later, when the object of their discussion wasn't right next to him. He couldn't see them getting into much trouble, at least not with the both of them there.

He did bring up the news on his phone and was more than surprised at what he saw there. 'Showdown! Kid vs. Suzuki! Will he steal the Blush Mermaid?' was headlined in big, bold letters. Kid had only just helped him on the train and he was having a heist already? After everything that happened and how angry Suzuki-san was, it was probably for the best that the old man not spend too much time harping over it, but he didn't think this was a coincidence. Conan would have the chance to talk to the thief now, and sooner than he had thought. It looked like the heist was schedule for tomorrow. That was soon, even for Kid. He usually gave more than a few days notice.

"Come on, Conan-kun. We're going to be late." Ran walked slightly faster staring at her watch.

 _You didn't have to come with_ , Conan silently commented. _With all that's been going on, being late to school is the least of my worries._

The scolding he got by the teacher and the few minutes he had to stand outside the classroom for being late were nothing. He was led to his seat a while after class had begun. He couldn't help eyeing the other kids but all he received were snickers at him being late to class. Haibara shared a more telling smile before facing forward again and Conan was left with the dull humdrum of the classroom to keep him awake for the next few hours when he would have liked a nap instead.

It felt like forever until the bell rang for the end of the day. Conan let out a breath, starting home. Haibara was behind him soon after, the other kids having been too attracted to something to not be following her. "So, what are out nighttime guests doing? Not staying over I hope."

"No. If everything goes well, the two here now will be over in Osaka. Don't worry about it. I don't think I'll need you and the professor again, but if I do, I'll contact you somehow."

"You'll contact me in a time when phones don't work?" Her smile was just a bit too cocky for his liking. "Don't get yourself into too much trouble."

"I've got it under control," _I hope_. He still didn't know what to do about the portal but Haibara wouldn't have any good ideas either. She liked some weird stuff but nothing this weird.

Haibara nodded but said nothing else on the way back. He'd be staying over at the professor's this time, just in case there were any questions to him being up so late and no risk of him actually falling asleep.

Hattori was at the agency when he called him again and Conan realized he'd have to go back there first, to talk to him and make sure he went along with his plans. He walked Haibara back first, since he'd been with her anyway, and told her he'd be back in a few hours.

Opening the agency door, Hattori was sitting on the couch. Conan looked around but didn't see Amuro. He heard Ran say something to someone in the other room though and, with the old man once more behind his TV, he had a good guess where he was.

"So, what happened?" Conan put his bag down at the end of the couch and took a seat next to Hattori.

"Ah, jus' some case 'bout a missin' husband. Found 'im easy 'nough an' came back here. Too bad. I was really lookin' at getting' a break from the world of the weird for a while. Guess my life is like that every day though an' it's more new for you than me. I'm surprised ya really went ta school."

"Yeah, well, Ran got me before I was able to slip back out. I didn't know you guys were gone." Conan sighed. "Listen Hattori," he said as he lowered his voice so only Hattori could hear. He needed to tell him why he needed the both of them in Osaka. School was a good enough reason that he couldn't go with.

Hattori grumbled, looking at him hard. Of course he couldn't fight him on it when Hattori would have the most danger, being with Amuro-san. Conan shrugged and couldn't help smiling. If Hattori had gone for years without getting attacked, Conan wouldn't now, not if the danger was being taken away. It was an unhappy agreement, but Hattori relented and admitted he had no idea on how they'd find anyone when it came to dealing with the portal or what the wolf creature had called a 'true healer'.

Amuro came out with Ran and some sandwiches for lunch. Conan took a few for himself, yawning. The three of them would need to talk so that Amuro wasn't suspicious that he wasn't going with them. If there was anyone he could send in his place to protect the other two, he would. Between Hakase and Haibara though, neither would agree and it was too dangerous for an old man or an ex-organization member anyway.

He didn't know how the blond man found his endurance. Hattori looked just as tired as he did but Amuro went around, helping Ran clean up, all bright eyed and bushy tailed.

"Ran-neechan, Hakase has something he wanted to show me and Hattori-niisan wants to come see. He says it's this really cool new video game he's been working on. I might just sleep over there if it gets too late."

"All right, Conan-kun. Just don't be late to school again."

"Hai." Conan went up to his shared room and grabbed a few of his things in a bag so that he'd have clothes for the next few days if he needed them. Hattori followed him and retrieved his bag and anything else he had left strewn around the room. They heard Amuro-san excusing himself as they went back down the stairs. The man beat them down the steps and outside, waiting a few seconds for them to catch up.

"This is certainly strange," Amuro admitted. "I feel like the adult getting the kids in trouble."

In a way, he kind of was. Conan had to smile and hide a laugh. "It's all right, Amuro-san." He couldn't be the one to bring up Osaka. He'd shown off in front of the blond too much as it was already.

Hattori yawned, the food making all of them more tired. "How'd ya get away with those scratches in front of neechan? I been wonderin' that since she let ya run off with us."

"Oh, these?" Amuro touched his face where there were a few cuts and scrapes from last night, the most obvious and least harmful of his injures. "I told her a friend's cat got me. I hate lying to her but I don't think she'd believe me if I told her a panther grabbed my leg and dragged me into the dirt, wondering how I was still alive."

"You're leg?" Conan looked over at him. He hadn't seen any rips in his pants but he had come back very dirty. If it hadn't made him bleed too much, Conan knew it was possible he'd overlooked it.

"Just a few teeth marks. They're all healed up now. I don't know why but there was a lot of noise around then and it let me go. I was going to ask if something happened but I figured you would have told me if it had."

Conan didn't know how to explain away Haibara's help without mentioning her by name. Instead he nodded. "We found a way to distract them but odds are we won't be able to do it again."

"Thanks. That could have saved my life." Amuro turned forward, not at all fazed as he was speaking about his brush with death. Haibara wouldn't be too happy he had said that so he'd keep his words to himself. "What are we going to do about fare? I have some money to cover myself and I told Azusa-san that I had some family business I urgently had to take care of, but don't we need tickets in advance?"

"Nah," Hattori shook his head, waving a hand in front of himself. "The bullet train will get us there an' I got a friend who kin pick us up from the train station. The little guy can't come with, 'cause a school an' there ain't no way neechan's lettin' 'im out of her sight without a good reason."

Amuro looked down at him and Conan smiled his most innocent smile back at him. It was met by a mirrored image and somehow equally innocent smile in return. "I see. So you're going to take on all the big bad monsters while I go and hide. I don't think I like that."

"Hey, come on, I'm not going to do anything while you're gone. What can I do?" Conan admitted. Nothing was the plain and simple truth. Nothing until he figured out a good way to fight back.

"Not like I'd let 'im do that either. If we need ta come back, we'll come back." Hattori showed more teeth than either of them had and his smile was far from innocent. "Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Conan wished they'd stop treating him like a little kid. He wasn't an idiot. He wouldn't go running into danger… not unless it came at him first that is.


	7. Little Friend

**Chapter 7: Little Friend**

Conan was happy for some sleep after he was sure Hattori and Amuro were gone. The professor didn't mind at all and he noticed when he woke that both of them must have taken naps of their own. Dinner was short and simple, since Haibara didn't take that much time to prepare it.

They all waited, very much awake when the sky went from dark blue to some iridescent hue that it didn't normally take on. Conan was the first to take a step outside, looking around and hoping they would really be safe. That wolf had said they weren't the main course but that they'd be great snacks if she so wanted it.

"Hello, Tantei-kun."

Conan spun, sure he had just looked to his left and seen nothing nor heard anything after he'd scrutinized his right. He'd tried to make sure everything stayed in his peripheral vision but somehow the white clad thief had found a way to sneak up on him.

He had to lean back and take a few calming breaths. "Don't _do_ that to me."

Kid tipped his head, unable to hide his face as well when everything glowed. "I'm not afraid of giving you a heart attack. Why so on edge?"

"Let me guess, you're one of us that haven't been getting attacked. Of course, you don't live around here and you don't know him well enough." Conan felt his heart rate slow down to something more normal and he pushed off the wall, facing the Kid with his hands in his pocket. "So what are you doing here? I take it you didn't just come to say hello."

"No, but I've done so in the past so I wouldn't go assuming." Kid moved his hand, making his cape flutter ever so slightly with no wind to do it for him. "What, exactly, is going on here?"

"I have a broad idea but if you wanted this conversation you should have come by earlier. I have a few things I want to test out." He needed to observe how the creatures here worked. That involved finding one that couldn't easily turn on him and watching how it acted.

"Oh? You have other pressing matters at this time?" Kid looked around. "I don't see any."

Conan wasn't going to put up with any of the thief's snarky remarks. Leaving him with little idea what was going on with this world wouldn't help either of them though. "You want your answers, they'll have to wait until real time is back online again. For now just get in that house and stay out of my way. We're pretty sure homes are hard to get into." _And I don't want you killed if something decides to be lethal._

"Ordering me around now, are you? I think you have as much idea of this time as I do so I've decided that I'm not going to go inside. If you're staying out then it must be safe enough and I've been out here the last few nights anyway."

Conan let out a breath. He didn't think he'd be able to shake the other and he had partially been the reason he'd gotten involved so why not?

"Before that however," Kid intoned. "What happened to your hands?"

He'd all but forgotten about them after last night. Looking at his hands, Conan was able to examine the black on them once more under this strange light. Maybe it was the light that was a catalyst for everything here. It would make a lot of sense. "If you see something black don't touch it or this happens." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "And no, it doesn't come off."

Kid's lip turned up in a smirk. "I didn't mean to pry. Thank you for that information." He turned to look around the dead street. "Care to explain what you're doing while I silently follow you or are we both going to act as if neither of us were here?"

"You talk too much for me to ever think that." Conan let out a breath but there was a smile on his face now. Kid wasn't a bad person and he was likely just as uncertain and scared as the rest of them. "I really will explain what we know to you but first I'm trying to find one of those shadow creatures. You didn't see any, did you?" Odds were the Kid had been on the roof and had a good view of the neighborhood before dropping down.

The thief shook his head. "Afraid not, though I passed a few on occasion before now. I figured it was best to keep my distance so I did… to an extent. Why? I don't think they can be caught."

That was, of course, where the thief's mind had gone. Conan thought that would be pretty intriguing. Catch one of them… No. It was risky and he had a feeling that it would be too loud or hard to keep still to not garner attention. "No, I just want to watch. I want to figure out what they do." He already knew they were after Amuro but what did they do otherwise? Were they just like a mirrored version of animals or was there some bigger picture here?

"That sounds fun and very time consuming if we do things your way." Kid pointed to the sky with his thumb. "Want a lift? We'd have a better view from above."

Conan snorted. "There's no wind. That means you're glider doesn't work and you only used it to-"

Kid grabbed him and Conan was able to hear the cape flutter around a few second before falling to the ground. Or at least, he thought it had been from it falling. In actually it was probably from them putting distance between themselves and the cape, having risen a dozen feet or so in the air.

"Ah!" Conan grabbed Kid's arms were they were wrapped around him, feeling them fall back to the ground a foot or so before getting higher. He looked around quickly, his heart racing, to see that Kid had, somehow, acquired a pair of translucent white wings. They were more than double the owner's size and reminded Conan very much of an eagle picking up a mouse – him being the mouse.

"Pretty cool, isn't it?"

"You idiot! You could have told me you were doing that!" Conan yelled from his trapped position, one hand in the air threateningly.

"I could have," the thief agreed. "But where would the fun have been in that?"

Conan growled to himself as the thief used the wings much like a bird would. The difference was it was somehow easy for him with no wind where a bird would typically ride the air currents. He felt himself shuffled a bit as they went down the street.

"What the heck was that?"

Conan frowned and stared up at the thief who could only poorly hide his identity from him at this angle, not that he hadn't seen his face as closely before. "What?"

"You growled at me." Kid raised and eyebrow, easily able to look down. "That's not exactly normal."

It wasn't as if he had meant to. Conan had found it had become a response for whenever something had annoyed him. He usually kept it quiet but it had happened more than enough times for him to notice that it likely wouldn't be something he could control. "I can't help it. It's nothing for now." He really didn't want it to be a trait he couldn't shake at some point in the future.

"O… kay," Kid said slowly, flying further on with him and making his own breeze. It was easy for Conan to keep his eyes open and clear at this speed, though he noticed something he hadn't on the ground, wiping his eyes.

"There are a lot of bugs up here."

"Sorry about that. Being frozen in space and tiny it's kind of hard to avoid some of them." Kid dropped down a few dozen feet. "Only certain areas are really bad."

Conan made him slow and come to as much of a stop as he could in the air when he found one of the shadow creatures a short time later. From the height they were at, all he could tell was it was something that walked on four legs. Kid refused to get closer, stating that it would be able to smell them if they did so, to Conan's ire, they stayed hovering far too high for him to get a good look at anything while they watched where the creature went.

It was boring, Conan decided after at least half an hour of this. From the way it moved and its speed he'd judged it to be a raccoon. All it was doing was walking around the back alleys, checking out crevices and examining any discarded items like a raccoon would. The difference would be this one didn't eat, or didn't have to eat. Hattori's warning came back to mind and he wondered if eating here wasn't something that needed to happen. It wasn't a long enough time period for him to test it out on himself.

"I'm going to find something else," Kid decided, taking off with him. Conan nodded, not unhappy with that decision. They flew around a bit more, the wings intriguing Conan as much as the creatures did. He wondered that, if they somehow mentally controlled this power, it wasn't somehow an extension of themselves. If that was true he wondered if they could edit what they were able to accomplish. That didn't make sense though or they could easily have Amuro change his own power and get himself off the dinner menu.

It didn't take them long to find a pair of shadow squirrels running along the power lines. They stopped and watched them for a bit, much slower since they were near the same height as them. All they did though was wander around the lines, come together for a few moments, and then part again.

"I don't know why you're so scared of these things." Kid went ahead of the squirrel's path, landing lightly on the wooden part of the post and dropping him. Conan had to catch hold himself, not wanting to risk the active lines even if time were stopped. Touching stilled lightning still had enough power to kill someone with a few electrons.

Kid didn't have the same fear, his wings disappearing as he started to walk across the line and near one of the squirrels that had stopped its advancement, watching Kid in return. They both seemed intrigued at one another and Kid bent down, lowering his hand. "Come here little guy."

The squirrels looked at each other with dark, shadowed eyes, before one stepped forward.

"Don't touch it," Conan warned, trying not to yell it in the silent night. "They have that blackness too."

"I'm wearing gloves, detective." Kid bent down and Conan couldn't see him well. He touched the squirrel, smiling to himself as it pressed into his glove as if wanting to be pet. "I don't think you mean us any harm. I wish I could speak with you." The squirrel lowered its head and Kid brought his glove to himself, looking it over. "Tantei-kun, do they always leave that black mark?"

Conan had no idea. He'd had that one lion in his mouth and no one said he was walking around with black lips so probably not. "You know, maybe it's only when they wound you. I'm not sure how that works."

"I see." Kid placed his hands forward, beckoning the squirrel onto them. He stood with it in his hands, turning and walking back to Conan before sitting on the wooden beam. "It certainly doesn't act like a normal squirrel. I'd never have been approached by a real one, affinity for animals or not."

Conan looked over at the shadow squirrel, trying to situate himself better, reaching out a hand and watching the squirrel pull away, hiding partially behind Kid. The thief laughed. "It's okay, he won't hurt you. Trust me."

The thief's words, to Conan's surprised, seemed to be taken to heart. The squirrel moved forwards on his lap, coming across the space on the pole that separated them. Conan was slower this time, reaching forward and petting its head, the squirrel seeming to enjoy it. Conan smiled. As crazy and confusing as this world was, that was pretty cool. "I wonder if it's only the carnivorous ones that attack."

"I don't know. I haven't gotten this close to one before now. I figured if something went wrong, at least you were here." Kid waved his hand to the other squirrel that had stayed where it had been on the wire. It came forward at his call, jumping to the other line and walking over to him, settling itself on his lap where the thief pet it. "Since we've observed enough for the night I say we head back. I don't have my cape with me, as it gets in the way of the wings. I won't be able to fly us back when things return to normal."

Conan nodded, checking out the 'squirrel' more as he stroked it. It didn't seem bothered when he pet it on the stomach or tail and he could see fine fur and features that were bone-for-bone a replica of a real squirrel.

"Of course I don't think I can pull you away from them so how about this," Kid tapped his shoulders. "Will you two come back with us? We're just going for a little ride and my friend would like to have a look at you for some reason. I on the other hand just like your company."

Both squirrels took all of a second to contemplate this before perching themselves on either side of the Kid's shoulders. Kid smile to him as Conan stared in surprise and was lifted up by the thief, once again being taken into the air. The arrived back at the agency minutes later and Kid took a few seconds to put the squirrels down and retrieve his cape before he and Conan were both sitting with the two shadow creatures outside the door.

Conan, having had the squirrel he was petting curl up with its tail around itself and find a comfortable position on his leg, had to wonder how these were so docile when the ones he had encountered before were so vicious. Was it the wolf? It was very possible the bigger and more powerful controlled the weaker ones to do what they wanted.

The time was almost over and Haibara likely only opened the door to see where he was when she peeked her head out. Seeing him with the squirrel asleep on him and the other playing around Kid's top hat washed away any anxiety she'd had on her face. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Ah…" Conan scratched the little rodent behind the ear. "I'm not sure." He had planned on observing them. He supposed that was what he was doing now.

Haibara came forward, closing the door behind her. She had her hands on her hips and stared down at him, uncertainty there.

"She's a friend too," he heard Kid say before there was a yelp and Haibara had her hands on her head. The squirrel Kid had likely placed there ran down to her shoulders before it could be knocked off and then jumped to the floor. It turned, looking up at the girl as if expecting something, probably to be pet.

That was all she needed before she was on her knees and touching the thing, a mix of amazement and curiosity there. Conan looked up to see Kid smirk and wondered if the thief knew about her love for small fluffy creatures. Then again, that was a weakness most girls had, so maybe it had just been a guess.

"I wish I had gotten some answers. Instead I have more questions." Conan pet his own squirrel, staring at it with lidded eyes. It seemed benign, as did the time here in general when things weren't attacking him. He'd still like to close it off from the real world but maybe it wasn't a bad thing. It was unnatural by his own standards but Hattori had been in it for years now. It hadn't hurt him. So many questions, so many possibilities. Conan felt his head start to hurt. Right, Akai. He was supposed to talk to him. It looked like that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Maybe he could talk Kid into coming back here again and getting the man to come over as well. Haibara would be uncomfortable but he was too confused to be trying to figure this out on his own.

The squirrels seemed to wink out and the light around them vanished just as quickly, the pale moon a weak substitute. Conan blinked his eyes a few times and got to his feet. Kid was still there, his arms folded and waiting for the answers he had promised him. He'd need to reveal more than he had to Haibara, to make sure the thief didn't do anything he didn't want him to do, but that would have to be another day.

Conan let himself back in the house, seeing the professor with a cup of something warm. He wanted something to drink as well. This conversation was going to take some time and he was getting tired of repeating it. With the power the thief possessed though, it would be more helpful to have him on reserve than it would be to let him leave with nothing.

"Sit down. Hakase, don't spit that out and can you please make us all something to drink?" They could at least be hospitable and Conan needed Kid on his side. With the sleep he'd gotten earlier he wasn't tired and Conan sat on the couch, telling the thief what they knew of the time, what had happened, and what they were trying to do now. For his part the thief masked his features well. That or he was just too tired himself to be showing off much.

"If they were only after him and we weren't just attacked, maybe it's that they can't beat us. The bigger creatures took you on that night but maybe it was because they were just that – bigger creatures. I would think the small ones would be afraid of us though and run off."

"Yeah, that has me puzzled too." Conan took a sip of his coffee, leaning back on the couch. "They were a bit scared of me until you said something. I wonder if you can influence them."

Kid tipped his head. "That would be something. If I can I wonder if it works on the ones that would attack you too, or just the ones that are indifferent or weaker."

"I want to test it tomorrow, if you don't mind coming back." Conan was riding on him lending his help, even temporarily, to them.

Kid just grinned and ticked his finger at him. " _You_ owe _me_. I don't owe _you_ a thing and I really do have plans. Not tomorrow, but I will be free the night after."

That was more than Conan was expecting anyway and he nodded, happy that the thief had accepted. He had been afraid when he'd first started talking that this was the last that he'd see of him. Tomorrow then he'd walk around with Akai and see what he could see from the shadows. Being unseen would be better than stalking around as a dog, though together both wouldn't be bad.

"I still wonder what you said before. If the blackness is something from them attacking someone, I wonder if it has something to do with blood. It didn't seem that touching them left any kind of mark."

Blood? Conan hadn't considered that. It would be their blood that came in contact with the creature then that created the blackness, or taint. He had to wonder how the portal was made then. If someone had really died back in that cart it would make sense. Since no one had he wasn't sure blood was the key. "I don't know. Since that thing said that only a 'true healer' could take away the blackness it makes sense that it's from a wound."

"Right, those questions. I have someone who might actually be able to help with some of them. I don't know if she's a healer but she'd know more about this than I do."

Conan frowned, opening his eyes wider when it faded and he looked at Kid. The thief dealt with magic but it wasn't real magic. He'd never though he'd have any connections to this type of real magic before or it would have been the first thing he'd asked him. "Can I ask those questions?"

Kid flinched just slightly around his eyes. "That's overstepping boundaries."

Meaning that this woman knew either the thief or the person the thief was under the top hat. Conan got a bit angry and heard himself growl again. Without the stillness of the blue time it didn't travel as far. "I don't care about whoever you are right now. There's a man out there that I _hope_ is still alive and creatures that don't care if they have to kill me in the process. Give it to me as a clue if you have to, indirectly, but you are not keeping me away from someone that might be able to help me with all of this."

The thief was tense and he moved slowly when he did finally move. He put a leg across the other and was staring at him with serious blue eyes. "Something is wrong with you."

Conan was taken aback, frowning again. "What do you mean?"

"I mean this isn't how you normally go about solving a problem. You're right, it's important. I'll talk to her in the morning. I don't want to break into her house and she'd be ticked at me for waking her up this late anyway. In the meantime," Kid stood, keeping that hard gaze on him. "You fix whatever's wrong with that head of yours. I'm not putting my two cents in with the losing side because it's too stupid to notice something's up."

The thief walked out and Conan crouched down a little, baring his teeth once the thief's back was to him. He blinked his eyes a few times when the door was closed, the object of his anger gone. What the heck?

He covered his eyes with his hands and leaned back on the couch. Kid was right. He was surprised he hadn't noticed it before. The growling was one thing but Conan had found himself getting angry over the simplest things. He'd been ready to… to bite the thief for insulting him like that. "How bad am I?" he asked no one in particular.

"Pretty bad," he heard Haibara say, no uncertainty in her voice. "But not in any bad ways. You're still yourself if that's what you're worrying about. I think you just keep a little more of bow-wow with you now."

That was a horrible thing. That time was somehow _affecting_ this one. Hattori had said he had his visions outside of that time. Kid was one thing. He had wings. That wasn't unnatural for him in this time at all. What would happen with Akai-san he wasn't sure, but he was sure invisibility didn't translate into being a walking time bomb about to attack someone the second they got you mad. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Haibara shrugged. "I've been seeing things that weren't really there but they don't bother me much. They're usually see-through and I can ignore them. Whatever part of that dog you bring back with you is still you, just in dog form. If I had been afraid something bad was happening I would have pointed it out. That, and I've only seen you once in that time. I didn't know that I should be looking for dog traits to show up while I was around you."

Right, Conan hadn't told her anything. The only one who'd been with him since the beginning and would notice any big difference was Hattori, and he was now in Osaka. He hadn't said anything and that guy was way too concerned with his well being not to have mentioned it if he was asking him to leave. Conan let out a breath, relaxing. It was just an animal's nature. It was something he could easily control and he was sure he wouldn't be attacking someone unless he really meant to.

"Now that that's settled I'm heading to bed. We still have school tomorrow and, unlike someone, I don't plan on skipping." Haibara got off the other couch and headed down to her room. Conan watched her, thinking. Maybe he should go to school too, just to make sure no one started asking where he was. He let out a breath and got down himself.

"See you in the morning, Hakase."


	8. Genius

**Chapter 8: Genius**

Haibara was over at Ayumi's. She had agreed to let her sleep over there when Haibara lied about the professor's house needing some repairs. Conan currently found himself back on the couch he had been on last night with Hattori and Amuro across from him and the professor standing in the background and trying not to act like he was listening in on their conversation.

"Well, that didn't work."

"Yer tellin' me." Hattori leaned back, letting out a breath. He had a few new teeth marks on his arm that he hadn't had before he left, clearly not human. "If I'd had time ta sleep before we got back I might'a been able to get a vision or somethin'. The second the time went all weird I had a second 'er two. Yer lucky I'm as fast as I am."

Amuro smiled at the dark skinned teen. "And I thanked you for it, a few times now."

Hattori let out a breath. "Yeah, well, ya got us outta there pretty fast too. I guess my house versus 'big, scary dark bear' is an uneven fight. These things seem ta be able ta get inside as long as they're small enough, that or my home ain't safe anymore. Don't know why that would'a changed, but with all the other things that 're changin', it don't surprise me. Here I thought I'd get at least one day off." The dark skinned boy moved, laying on the couch and putting his feet by the blond, stretching out as much as he could. "Damn, I'm tired."

"You pulled me out of school and it's ten in the morning. I'm sure you both caught the first flight back when you didn't need to and got no sleep. Of course you're tired." Conan met Amuro's eyes, the other having bags under them and some of his wounds still showing. "Unfortunately if distance doesn't matter I have no idea what we can do." If Kid were here they could try flying him away but he wasn't sure if the thief's wings could hold that kind of extra weight, if weight mattered at all, or if there weren't a bunch of shadow vultures that would go after them anyway.

"You sound like you had a better time of last night then us." The blond moved, just slightly, so that Hattori's socked feet were touching him as he closed his eyes and leaned back into the couch some himself. "Wake me when you have a good idea. I don't know how much I can run away tonight being this tired."

Conan nodded but said nothing. The two with the most forewarning of an attack being together should have given them a huge advantage. Apparently it hadn't and now they were back here, where there were more people affected by the time but more that could get attacked by standing in the way. It left Conan very torn but at least it meant he was part of the group that could make a difference, one way or the other.

Now he just had to think of something to do. He was going to have Akai-san go out tonight, look around and try to see if he could find anything different about the creatures than he and Kid had. The issue there was now Amuro was back and he didn't want the two running into each other. Akai's powers couldn't help him so as long as he didn't need them at the same place at the same time it shouldn't be an issue.

The best thing to do would be to have him in some kind of electric fenced off area and the professor keeping it going. He didn't know of any place like that that existed though and there wasn't time or reason to make one. He wasn't sure how well electricity would keep them away. If it didn't exist in that time, the creatures had probably never come into contact with it before. They could be immune for all he knew.

Conan watched the other two pass out more than they fell asleep, thinking. There had to be a better idea, one he wasn't seeing.

The professor tipped his head to invite him over. Conan got up, trying not to disturb the other two and knowing they both possessed uncanny senses. Hakase bent down and they had a quiet conversation, trying to come up with a solution. While they thought together, Conan followed the professor as he started making lunch for all of them. Conan bowed out of helping and Agasa didn't insist. Neither were very good cooks but the old man had more practice with it.

Underground or above ground were the best ideas he could come up with. Nothing tall enough was open after midnight but anything big would have trouble getting up once the power stopped working such as, say, Tokyo Tower. He was sure it couldn't shift the earth anymore than they could in that time so underground wasn't a bad idea either. The latter required planning and no door to be pried open, though he didn't know how they could do it without suffocating themselves either. He didn't understand how they breathed as they did, but figured it has something to do with enough oxygen being in the air that having none created for a time that a great majority of things didn't exist in, it wouldn't matter. In a small area where oxygen was scarce, he was sure they would still suffocate.

Hattori woke before Amuro, being careful with his feet to slowly lesson the contact. He wasn't good enough and the blond opened his eyes soon after, being subtler in his stretching motions even though the position couldn't have been comfortable. "So," the elder of the two asked. "We're not heading out or anything are we?"

"I was thinking of a boat but if the water molecules aren't moving then it'll be just as easy for them to walk across as on land." Conan tipped his head. "We eat first and then we come up with ideas. So far I think the top of a building that's enclosed, such as a tall hotel, office building, or Tokyo Tower, is the best idea."

Amuro nodded, still looking tired and coming over to the professor. "Here. You shouldn't have the rice on that high." He leaned over and turned it down. "Stand back. You're letting us stay here so I'll finish the meal."

Conan wasn't going to lie, Amuro was great at preparing food. The idea of him making something from whatever the professor had already put together was more than tempting. "Thanks," Conan spoke up before the others could say anything.

Amuro smiled. "I've been mostly useless and having something I can control right now sounds like a great stress reliever. I'm surprised you're handling things so well."

Conan shrugged. Kids were able to adjust more than adults but he wasn't young enough that he still counted himself as part of that malleable age group. He was just a very open-minded person. "I suppose it's just another mystery that I'm having trouble figuring out."

"Sorry I ain't more help." Hattori put a hand on his head and Conan immediately became irritated. "I been in this time a lot longer but I ain't really looked inta anythin' like fightin' the creatures. It always jus' seemed like somethin' along the lines 'a 'live an' let live'."

"I don't think most of them mean us any harm, so I can understand that." Conan put a hand to his chin. Kid showed him a lot last night, and he still wanted to talk to him and his contact at some point in the very near future, as it seemed he was the only real defense that may or may not be helpful. "There doesn't seem to be a difference between those that do and those that don't, and the taint itself still has me confused. Does it just tie us to that time more so than we already are or is there some purpose to it?"

"I think we've all been dwelling on those questions." Amuro moved a few pans to start cooking something on the stove that the professor hadn't had on. Conan was getting hungry already and he hadn't been a few minutes ago. "This would be an amazing phenomenon to examine if I weren't running for my life."

They had had very similar interests so he was sure they all shared this, except for maybe Hattori who had been living in that time enough as it was. He wondered, if they closed this portal, if it would block Hattori from entering again or if this was something that could happen over and over again. There had to be a way to cut it off. When one side was clearly underpowered, it wasn't a fair fight. He didn't like being a fish on the end of a hook either.

Hattori yawned. "Man, I need to get some more sleep. There a bedroom somewhere 'round here? I'm sick 'a sleepin' everywhere but in a bed."

"Sure." The professor had moved back to stay out of the way, Amuro taking up most of the kitchen as he moved between the rice, the pan, and fridge. "My room is right around the corner after you go down the stairs."

"Wake me when lunch or whatever is ready then." Hattori yawned again, disappearing down the corridor. Conan watched after him, wondering what they were going to do tonight still. They could get that hotel room but he'd want to look around at where the best place would be. He wished he had Kid's phone number or some way of contacting him. He was sure the thief knew the city better than anyone.

"Something on your mind?"

"Hm?" Conan looked up, realizing he was just standing there and staring at nothing. Amuro was cooking but it didn't seem like he needed to be watching anything in particular. "Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking that it would easier to know if there were other people out there like us, and if there are, it might be easier to fight these things or figure out how to avoid them."

"I can see them but it means I see around me less. I noticed Hattori-kun has the same problem, only worse. I waved in front of his face and he didn't see anything until he fell out of this trance he was in. We're pretty useless if something's right in front of us and about to eat our face off." Amuro was silent after that, looking like he was lost in thought himself. "I can defend myself well enough. Putting the rest of you in danger is unnecessary. You can't do any better than I can on my own." He smiled and turned to meet his eye again. "Maybe I'll just get that hotel room. There's no point in putting all our eggs in one basket."

Conan really didn't want that. Amuro wasn't someone he would just leave on his own. He didn't want to lose the ties he'd have with him here and he didn't want him dead. The man could easily push them away and there was nothing he could do about it besides try and follow him. Without his car, since it seemed Amuro still didn't have it, that might be easier.

The blond was smirking at him. "Too interested not to come along, huh? Don't get killed then."

Conan shot him a smirk right back. "Don't worry about me. That's my line."

The blond laughed, stirring something that was sizzling in a pan and smelled like heaven. "I don't go down that easily. Now, enough of this talk. Why don't you go get me a red onion out of the fridge? I think I saw one on the bottom right side."

Conan didn't go in the professor's fridge much but he noticed the second he opened the door it was nothing like the Mouri's. Haibara had more say than he realized over what the professor was eating. He smiled and grabbed the onion, handing it over and watching the blond chop it up. Conan had to wonder where he learned to cook. It didn't seem like something someone in his line of work would care about.

"I can sense your questions." Amuro turned from his work and threw the chopped up onion in the pan. "What have you been wanting to ask me? You've been staring at me funny ever since I got back."

He had? Conan didn't notice and didn't care that it had come to his attention. "You have friends or family, don't you? Why are you still here? You could probably just as easily find a safe place to stay on your own without me having to come up with something. You stayed with Hattori though and have gone along with what I've said. Why?"

Amuro tipped his head. "I have a few places I could stay, but that won't help me in the long run, now will it?"

Conan had nothing to say back to that and Amuro turned to focus back on the food. "You knew that though. What did you really want to ask me?"

Conan kept his eyes on the blond, watching him work. He did have a lot more questions, but most he had already guessed the answers of and he was sure he was right. He didn't need to ask those and he had a good idea about his motivations ever since that night in the car. "Nothing. I briefly wondered why you could cook but everything else I have more or less figured out."

"Really?" Amuro moved the pan from the heat and turned around, leaning against the counter with both hands on it as he faced him. "I didn't think I was such an open book."

"You weren't. You're phone was."

Amuro closed his eyes, still smiling as he took in and let out a breath. "Ah, you got into my phone. So much for privacy and passwords."

Conan felt accomplished in that area and couldn't help grinning to himself, showing some teeth. "I had already been looking into you. I had to try five of my guesses before I had it right."

"You're not so much of a hard egg to crack either, you know. I would watch out for anyone who might get my phone as well. I only had to try three to get into your phone, both of them."

Conan winced, his eyes slightly wider. How the- He shook his head. "I suppose having it done back is fair game. I didn't notice."

"Neither did I, though I suppose you only looked through my contacts. My texts should have all been erased…" He lost a bit of his smile as he trailed off.

"No, you had one still in there. She changed her phone number after I called her the other day so you should get her new one at some point. Don't worry, I'm sure she knows you didn't willingly give it to me."

Amuro laughed. "You're crazy, do you know that?"

Crazy? Conan liked to think everything he did had some sort of explanation behind it. It was a calculated risk and one he was sure she wouldn't care to look into. Spending so much time with Amuro would only scare her about herself, not make her question the blond. After all, they were in a close proximity to each other anyway and he was sure she was aware that the extra hour had closed even that distance. "Genius, madness. I'm sure you and Aristotle would have liked to have a few words with one another. I like to think of it as just doing what I want to do and doing it right… for the most part."

"That's what we're all doing now, isn't it?" Amuro bent down so he was closer to his own height and was still smiling at him. "So, now that we're not skirting around the bushes, what are we really going to do?"

"We are _really_ going to get that apartment and see if it can't help deter them a little bit. I wasn't lying about that. I know someone who might be able to help us, but I don't have a number and it's all up to their whim on when they show up, so until then, as long as no one dies, I'm going to mark it as a win."

"So simple." Amuro closed his eyes and stood. "Okay. Go get Hattori-kun. The food's done and, as tired as I am, even people like me get hungry."

Conan nodded, looking eagerly at the food now that he was thinking about it as well. He went and got Hattori, having little issue waking the dark skinned teen once he mentioned food. It was strange but it wasn't an uneasy meal as they sat together eating some sort of stir-fry that Amuro had added fish and vegetables into. It tasted great, better than Ran's, though he'd never tell her that.

Hattori was done before the rest of them and leaned back, looking ready to fall asleep again. Conan saw Amuro's eyes flicker closer to closed for a moment and he realized the blond had gotten very little sleep himself. That worried him. He was going to have enough trouble trying to keep them out of danger. "Amuro-san, you should really get some sleep."

Amuro rubbed his eyes, looking as at home as any stranger possibly could. "That might be a good idea. Is that bedroom available to me as well?"

That put Conan on edge a little. There was a truce there, but one neither of them was familiar with and one he hadn't drawn boundary lines for. He wasn't going to say he couldn't go to sleep though and the professor was just as unsure as he was. Amuro waited but shrugged when neither of them said anything. "I'll take the couch then."

"No, it's okay." Conan got out of his seat, reaching back up to take his plate. "The professor might want to nap before tonight too, but I think it's better if he stays here. He shouldn't mind letting you use his bed."

"Of course not," Hakase said as a way to back him up and make it not as obviously Conan's decision and not his own. His words were too questioning though and he was sure he fooled no one. "Go right ahead."

"Ya should really grab the couch though," Hattori spoke up, and Conan had to see he was addressing him. "Both 'a us are gonna have sleep then and ya aren't. Ain't no way I'm hanin' out with a sleepy dog that's gonna try and fight off the monsters of the night."

The grin that Hattori shot him and saying it that way bothered him. Conan didn't know why and he realized he hadn't spoken to him about what Kid had pointed out to him last night. He swallowed, not growling. He was _not_ going to growl again. "Hattori, speaking of which, why didn't you say anything?"

That threw the Osakan and he turned his head to the side a bit. "Huh? 'bout what?"

"The dog thing." Conan reached up and put his plate by the sink before looking Hattori in the eye from across the room. "I've been… carrying over some traits and you haven't said anything to me about it, why?"

Hattori shrugged. "Didn' really bother me. I still get visions outside that hour an' figured it was the same with you." He looked over at Amuro. "What 'bout you? Ya carry over stuff too, right?"

Amuro nodded. "A little. It's nothing I can control. I'll see things now and then that I'm not looking at. I can control what it is in that hour, where, and who. Here I will just see something all of a sudden for a second or two and it's gone. It's happened maybe… four or five times a day." He smiled. "Why do you think I didn't go get my car? I don't want to be driving and get blinded all of a sudden because I'm seeing a hospital in Brazil instead of the streetlight."

Conan could only imagine how inconvenient that would be. Maybe growling when you got angry wasn't as bad as he thought. Hattori said he only had his when he dreamed. Having visions when you were awake like Amuro was a good way of losing some sanity.

"I had wondered why you weren't driving."

Amuro shrugged. "It isn't for that long. I could probably drive but I don't want to risk it until I'm sure of the length and frequency. I haven't been experiencing it long enough to have a good grasp on it yet." The blond closed his eyes a bit before standing. "I'm going to turn in. If you need me, you know where I'll be. I can pay for the hotel room if that's what we're doing." He reached into his pocket and placed a card on the table and walked away. Conan watched him disappear, has he had Hattori.

Hattori blew out a breath. "Ya, bein' alone with that guy is hard. He knows how to weasel everythin' ya don' wanna say outta ya."

"He has to be good at what he does." Conan, now that he had finished and was free to do anything he wanted, walked to the couch against his wishes and sat down. He did need sleep for tonight, though he'd have to speak with Akai-san and make sure he didn't make any rash moves. He took out his phone and texted him instead. "It's going to be hard for me to fall asleep but make sure you wake me some time around nine so I can call a hotel."

"Can do." Hattori didn't move from his seat and Conan sent his message, laying down and hoping that sleep would come.

…

Hattori woke him. Conan didn't remember what he'd been thinking or doing before he'd finally fallen asleep. He knew both Hattori and the professor hadn't spoken for long enough of a stretch that he'd found it easier than he thought.

"We waking 'im too?" Hattori looked down the stairs as Conan sat up, fixing his glasses and trying to wake the rest of his senses fully.

"I can make the arrangements myself. Let him sleep until we leave. Eleven should be good enough. Hakase, do you mind picking us up around twelve fifteen? I'd don't mind staying at a hotel but if something happens and someone gets hurt it would be better not to have any questions asked."

"Sure thing. I can pick you up before that if you want."

"No." Conan didn't want him around the hotel before that. The less of them that were in danger, the better. "After. Stay here and make sure nothing happens. They followed his scent to me before. They might do the same thing tonight."

"How we gonna fight 'em if they do get ta us? The wolf probably can't get in but the others'll be able ta, just like they did at my house."

"You never did tell me what happened." Conan met Hattori's eye. "I just noticed you were both more hurt than you had been."

"Ain't much ta tell. I got my kendo stick an' that guy kin apparently take on almost anythin'. We just kinda threw things out the window an' made sure they couldn't come back in my room. When they did we jus' fought them again an' threw 'em right back out. There was a big bear outside, but it couldn't get in."

"We just do what you two did then. Hopefully being high up nothing will be able to get in the windows. They'll be reinforced higher up and any birds that exist in that time shouldn't be stronger than ours."

"Ya, 'cause _somethin'_ s gotta make sense," Hattori spoke with more than a little sarcasm. "Remind me ta go see those giant talkin' wolves next time I go ta the zoo."

Conan wanted to roll his eyes, taking out his phone and calling the hotel, telling the Osakan to shut up as he did.

They both waited another hour or so until Conan went down and woke Amuro. It looked like the man had really been sleeping in the bed the whole time, though he had chosen not to get under the covers and only used the pillow. Since it was warm in the house he wasn't sure if that was because he was worried that he might turn on him, knowing more than he should, or if it was because he just didn't want the covers. Amuro was the kind of person that he could never tell which was the real answer.

The professor drove them all to a hotel and he wasn't sure if they confused the staff or not. None of them looked very much like each other and it was later at night. He was sure if it had been him behind the counter he would have been suspicious.

The room Amuro asked for was larger with a double bed. In just a few minutes they had the beds pushed together and on the side of the wall while anything that could be used as a weapon if they needed it was set out. Hattori looked back at the door as the movable lock was set into place. Being a part of a different object, it would be movable in that time.

"How are we gonna get out of we need ta? The electronic lock won't work from the inside either with time stopped."

"No, it won't. It's why I said a hotel. Anything that wants to get in will have to try hard to do it and the window is high up and stronger." Conan sat on the bed with nothing better to do than wait at this point. "There shouldn't be any reason that we need to get out." Hopefully he would be able to get Kid tomorrow night, like the thief had promised. It would greatly help in setting any further blockades up from the outside.

"A question, while we're discussing this." Amuro looked over at him. "These creatures don't exist in our time, so they either only exist in that hour or in a time and space separate from our own. If that's the case, what happens if something is in this room when our times connect?"

"Well, then we're screwed and we try to lock it in the bathroom or something." Conan had been wondering that as well but he figured the odds were far too low. Most of the creatures seemed to wander outside and, if they could control where they were in that hour, he figured Amuro would be dead by now and the rest of them not much better off.

"Fun thoughts there. Glad ta know the brain power is goin' towards paranoia." Hattori sat on the bed beside him. Amuro seemed to be keeping his distance, nearer the television and desk in the room than them. "I'm gonna jus' see what happens an' stop thinkin' the worst."

"But where's the fun in that?"

Conan smiled and shook his head when Hattori looked at him. He was serious though. So much more could be going on around them that they weren't seeing. Right now, he was stopping someone from dying. What if it was important though? What if it was something that was supposed to happen? That wolf had made it seem like it was a reoccurring theme throughout the years. Was it possible there was a bigger picture that he wasn't seeing and that Amuro just happened to be a casualty of something that had to happen?

He shook his head. He cared, but right now, he cared more about keeping the man alive. He had morals and he was going to stand by then. Saving someone's life was never a bad thing. There had to be another way, if whatever it was those creatures were trying to do had to occur, there was always another option… there had to be.

The lights all changed color and the room went blue before his eyes. Even with the overhead lights no longer working, he could see just fine.

It was quiet for a long time and Conan wondered just how well these being could track. Clearly some of the ones based off dogs or cats had some sort of scenting ability. He'd seen that first hand.

After maybe ten minutes there was some scratching and growling noises at the door. They all stayed where they were, Amuro the only one who had line of sight with it. Conan watched the blond as his eyes seemed to glow with a faint light. He let the man focus, likely watching the other side of the door.

Hattori bent over a while after, holding his head. Conan turned to him, seeing the dark-skinned teen's eyes do something much like Amuro-san's did, only instead of glowing they seemed to darken, making it hard to tell the whites from his previously sea green colored eyes.

Hattori turned towards the window and none of them missed the black moving figure outside as it shifted into sight, far too many cream colored eyes staring at them as what looked like an overly large spider clung to the side of the building. It showed off his sharp fangs just as Conan got off the bed, backing up, one of its legs hitting the window with a thudding noise, repeating the motion as cracks formed on the glass.

"Shit."


	9. Madness

**Chapter 9: Madness**

Conan backed up near where the bathroom was. The spider was too big to enter on its own. It could reach in though and the destruction of the window would let in any number of smaller creatures. He felt his being shift, felt four legs on the carpeted ground instead of two. He growled, standing his ground.

Hattori was up too. He had brought his wooden sword with him, something that the hotel staff had not been able to recognize as he kept it in his bag. Drawn, it didn't seem like much of a defense against this type of monster. Getting closer could allow Hattori to get a hit in, but he'd be way too close to those teeth.

Amuro looked pale, the blue light making him look more sick than scared. He had a hand up to his face for a moment before lowering it and taking a stance that would allow him to defend himself at close range. "I knew there was a reason I've always hated bugs."

The words were enough to break up some of the fear and Conan found himself smiling. They would be fine. As long as the spider couldn't get in, there was nothing to worry about. Anything smaller they could deal with, and the spider would have to move out of the way to let in any creature that could pose a challenge.

The window broke, not shattering so much as just not being able to stay together anymore. The spider used its long legs to move the glass out of its way, reaching in with the same leg.

Hattori stepped forward and struck it. Conan would have bitten it but something about having a gross hairy leg in his mouth put him off, his hesitation allowing the other youth to move first.

Retracting its leg, the spider made some type of noise he didn't think a spider would make – screeching and more like a bird and a synthesizer didn't get along. It stuck its leg back in after, jabbing at them and forcing all three into the alcove where the bathroom was. The creature wasn't able to destroy any of the building with ease anymore than it was the window, though Conan could see dents in the opposite wall it came into contact with.

They all waited silently as the leg was pulled back. Conan was the first to stick his head out, being smaller and faster, and watched the spider shift from his position. It moved, slowly, and as Conan had been afraid it let in other shadowy creatures.

He had not thought that the spider itself could bring up others that could not climb, and he probably should have. Birds he would have had no problem with but he watched as the spider moved out of sight and a translucent web-like matter hung behind it, several creatures using it as a handhold between their teeth. Scratching and failing to get in a few times as they drifted outside the window, one of the quadrupeds was able to get in, cutting itself on some of the remaining glass. Conan watched its blood fall to the floor, staining it black. He growled and stepped forward when it took in another foot.

Normally a dog wouldn't be able to take on a wolf but this one was closer to normal sized and he was sure it didn't have his intelligence. The small creature that followed it in, getting caught on the ledge and having trouble, was even smaller than he was and looked like some type of rodent/dog hybrid. Maybe it was a Tasmanian devil or something along those lines. Conan found himself not caring, baring his fangs to the wolf and getting the same reaction in return.

There was no room to circle one another, though Conan found he really wanted to. Instead he took a step for each the wolf took, answering snarls or growls in turn. Soon they were close enough to one another and the wolf lunged before him. He found he was angry, having spent more time trying to watch out the window and worrying about other stuff that his dog self hadn't cared about.

The anger may have been enough to help his attacking. He couldn't taste anything of the other creature, knew only of the texture of its fur in his mouth from time to time, the pain of when the other would get in a bite or claw of its own. He was vaguely aware of the second creature and the other two, but every time he got distracted and would try and look over the wolf would get him again. He decided it was better to take on this creature and then worry about the others. They weren't children.

Hattori caught his attention before his fight was over, striking the wolf on the back and getting the creature to stumble. Conan used the chance to attack it, going for its throat and getting claws as he tried to hold on.

"Back off, ya idiot!"

Conan felt himself being pulled back and allowed it to happen, being able to easily tell the difference between Hattori and one of them. The teen easily grabbed the wolf after he tore him off of it, using both hands to pick it up and throw it out the window. He saw the teeth of the shadow animal cut up Hattori's arm as he did this, drawing the limb to himself and backing up as the spider stuck its leg back in.

They all retreated back to the bathroom, all out of breath to one extent or another, Conan watching the spider's limb moving just feet in front of them as it searched them out. He could bite it, but he figured it wouldn't give them great results.

"Hey." Conan nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt Hattori's non-bleeding arm on him. The Osakan looked worried as he stared at him. "Are ya alright?"

Conan thought he was. He did feel where it hurt to put weight on one of his legs but that was no big thing after that fight just now. If he was bleeding anywhere, he couldn't tell. He shrugged. "I feel as fine as could be expected. Why?"

"Well… this fer one." Hattori shifted his arm a bit to touch where his shoulder would be. Conan winced, the dog form forcing him to close his eyes for a moment. Hattori took his hand away the second he reacted so strongly. "Sorry. Ya got blood all over the floor too."

"It just hurts." Conan shifted, trying to feel out his pains better. There didn't seem to be anything terribly wrong with him. "I guess not being able to fight with my hands kind of sucks."

Hattori laughed quietly. "Trust me, yer faster than I am. Bein' a dog ain't that much worse."

He heard an answering laugh from Amuro as well. The blond didn't seem to be anymore hurt than he had already been except for his hands, which had some blood on them from teeth marks that were too small to have done any real damage. "It's better than getting distracted like we do."

Conan wondered, besides the muscle pain, if his fur wasn't protecting him more than he thought. He could see some blood on the ground but he knew he'd gotten hit a lot. As a person, that would have done far more damage. He was glad his own ability allowed him to keep up with the two people who had been trained in one form or another.

He didn't miss the growl as the spider stopped whacking everything it could reach. His attention was drawn to Amuro as he watched the white light return to his eyes. They waited until the glow faded and the man looked forward.

"Bear again. Smaller this time. I think it's two different colors, like a panda bear. It's hard to judge color when it's all just shadow."

"Think it's gonna be just as harmless?"

Amuro laughed in his throat. "I don't think we're going to be that lucky."

Conan didn't either. He watched around the corner, waiting for it and knowing the spider couldn't attack while the bear was in or risk injuring its companion. While he didn't think they cared much about one another there did seem to be some military-like ranking, and it was never a good idea to get rid of your own soldiers.

" _Hold up."_ Conan felt Hattori's hand near his shoulder, away from the wound, feeling him look around the corner with him. " _We need'a plan. We can't keep this up all night. Trust me, I tried yesterday. We should just lock the door."_

Conan would rather get the threat coming in the window first, that way they would have at least a few minutes until the next one came up. He didn't think they would be smart enough to use the spider's anatomy the way they were. He nodded, taking a few steps back until he could no longer see around the corner. He turned, going into the bathroom and looking around it. It was more than big enough for all three of them to fit but they'd have issues fighting around each other if something got in.

The other two entered as well, Hattori staying closest to the door and locking it. He smiled at him. "Can ya stop lookin' like that fer a bit? It just kind of creeps me out."

Conan would have sighed if he wasn't more on guard than annoyed. He closed his eyes a moment, making sure he had himself again, and found himself sitting on the cold floor of the bathroom, his eyes growing wide behind the glasses. "I'm such an idiot!"

The other two jumped a bit, startled by the sudden outburst. "What is it?" the blond asked.

"Fire, heat, anything. It might not work in this time but if it's already hot we can use it as a weapon. If biting and hitting them works, heat and cold should be no different. Why didn't I think of this earlier?" Conan hit himself in the head with the palm of his head. "Damn it."

"We kin try it ta'marrow. Ain't like we don't have all the time in the world until we figure out how ta close that portal thing on the tracks, _if_ that even does it. I mean, I ain't ever had issues gettin' stuck in this time when no one else has when I've visited ya."

Conan hadn't been thinking about that much either. Hattori was obviously still connected, likely through the taint or whatever that black stuff was. Portals then really didn't matter, since they could be anywhere. What closing it could do, he wasn't sure. He had wanted a goal of some sort, as flimsy as it was. It all seemed to be connected to how their realities were entwined into one another, and that he knew little about. "They were after Amuro-san since the beginning. They probably did something to him to make sure he was trapped in this time. I thought the portal had been that connection. We were all on the train at the time and it's possible they couldn't narrow down their target. You, I still don't understand. I'll worry about what the point in all of this is later though." Conan could hear something tearing apart the hotel room on the other side of the door, coming closer.

They waited, Conan staying on the floor and watching the door. Hattori was the only one who seemed distracted, repeatedly looking his way as if there was something on him. Conan spared a few seconds of his attention to try and see what the Osakan wanted. "What?"

"Yer…. Ah…." Hattori waved down at him. "Ya probably should stay back fer a while."

Conan looked down at himself. He saw a few light bite marks across his skin, barely enough to prick it. His shoulder was bleeding worse but nothing that he had to worry about right this second. What did catch his attention was that it wasn't just his hands that were black anymore. There were large sections of his skin covered in dark shadow that refused to be illuminated by the blue glow. He looked his arms over, his body a half blackened mess as if large parts of it had been covered in tar. "That's probably not good."

"Probably not. Don' worry. We kin take them."

Amuro was watching the door, not saying anything in return. Conan was used to seeing him smiling. A stoic expression and pale skin didn't suit the man. Neither of them had the same black marks that Conan had but, looking closer, there were flecks of it here and there across their clothes and skin.

While the banging at the door hit his ears, he was sure it would take more than a bear to get past the lock and the weight of the other two. His heart sped up, hearing the banging again, but he took the time to look at the blackness. He could see nothing about it, no texture of his skin under it. Like his hands, it wouldn't wipe off. He hadn't felt anything on him besides that wolf's teeth. Maybe it was something they could control, like he had thought before, but was it contact alone that created it?

The door shuddered and Conan got to his feet. If something came in he wasn't going to listen to Hattori. Whatever the blackness was, it wasn't hurting him, so he'd worry about it later.

Amuro was looking off into the distance again, the white glow harder to see than it should have been at night. Conan watched the door more than him, knowing he'd tell them what was going on.

"There are a few more coming in. Needless to say they all seem rather dangerous. I'm not sure how long the door will hold."

"Damn it, maybe my house was better. There weren't this many." Hattori pushed himself up against the door to try and make it harder to push in. Conan was thinking, trying to find a way out of this, and getting very distracted by the part of him that wanted to turn back into a dog and bare his teeth. He found he had committed to the action simply by thinking it, though he was able to hold onto his form. Fear, it seemed, was a great incentive for the powers to make themselves known and used, even against their host's wishes.

Amuro smiled and met Hattori's eyes. Being behind him, Conan couldn't see his expression. "There is no way the three of us can take on this many. Hattori-kun, you should both hide. If they're only after me-"

"Shut up!" Hattori looked ticked and Conan had to admit he felt the same. He didn't care any more about trying to stop it and found himself a four-legged creature once more. "Ya think we're that heartless? I ain't just gonna let someone die." Hattori looked to him and Conan answered with the best smile he could give as a dog. Hattori smiled in turn and nodded before turning back to the blond. "Neither 'a us will."

Amuro sighed. "It was just a suggestion."

"A bad one." Conan stood behind him, half his height and ready. He wasn't going to let someone die, not if he was there, not again. There were things he could get from this man, if he was able to pull the strings he needed, as well. As a valuable ally and a friend, the blond was being stupid.

The man smiled and shrugged, taking up a stance himself when the door shuddered again. Hattori eyed it, backing away, not wanting to be stuck between it and a wall when it gave.

"We should run fer it."

Huh? Conan looked at Hattori, no idea where they would run to even if they could. They were in the bathroom because they had already run as far as they could.

Hattori smirked. "The sides'a the window. It can't reach us from there unless it bites us, an' we can attack it if it tries that. Anythin' that tries to come in we can knock off 'fore it enters."

"That would have been a great idea before." Amuro shook his head. "There's like six of them in there right now though. We won't be able to get rid of all of them."

"We kin try. It's better 'an givin' up."

Conan had his head down, sure he was showing his teeth. He'd been told since he was little that he didn't know when to quit. It had gotten him in trouble more than once but he hadn't cared and he didn't now. It was as good a plan as any.

"You're both crazy. As the rational adult I should talk you down from something so suicidal-" The door half gave, part if it hanging off the frame. They all stopped talking and focused on the breach and waited. Conan growled, liking the feel of it.

The door came down, half falling and half swinging on the remaining warped hinge. The first thing before them was the bear, covered in shadow fog with different levels of blackness to it. The 'panda', Conan guessed, before rushing it so it couldn't get in and trap them in a corner.

It was bigger than him, and stronger, but Conan was faster, more agile, and far more stubborn. He was able to get its back legs, make it stay on four feet, force it to try and turn its larger body mass in the smaller area. He was no longer aware of what the others were doing, only that there were teeth and claws on him and he returned them. It became a chaotic mass of black, confusion, and pain. He wasn't sure how long he kept at it, feeling himself tire, feeling them tire, and knowing that he'd be on the losing end simply because of numbers.

There had been screams, of course. The three of them were as good as fighting wild beasts in a small area with little to no weapons. This particular one caught Conan's attention, distracting him enough that a larger animal grabbed him and threw him into the wall. It might have been another bear of some sort, more fur and muscle than the first, but he wasn't sure as he blinked confusion and unconsciousness out of his eyes. The other creatures were slowly turning their attention away from the attack as well, giving him time to get to his feet.

Hattori was against a wall, something big and black and cat-like over him. He was trapped there, the creature's larger size holding him down. They weren't fighting though, the loud, shrill screams stopping what looked like it could have been a killing blow in another couple of moments. Conan put his ears back, trying to block out some of the sound.

He didn't see the blond, knew that he had to be somewhere in the bathroom which was now behind him. While the fighting stopped, he risked moving forward, the creatures becoming curious as well and following him, keeping their teeth to themselves.

Amuro was on the ground, a reptilian creature over him with sharp teeth digging somewhere into his stomach. The blond was pushing the creature's face away but it only seemed to cause him more pain. Blood flowed on the tile floor, darkening the internal glow of everything. It was black, Conan noticed.

The horrific scene should have been making him sick but he was fascinated. He didn't go to defend him, knowing somehow that he could cause far more damage getting the thing to let him go.

The older detective's already dark skin was turning the same black color he was bleeding out, starting at the wound and working its way up like a dye, going after any bit of color that it could find, even his clothes. It seemed to be hurting him and made the trapped man scream as it spread across his body, dyeing his face and hair before his eyes.

After the pain, blood, and noises of the creature biting into his body, the screams stopped, turning into panting as the lizard creature released him, backing up.

Conan was scared. He was suddenly terrified enough that he was willing to run out of the room and out the window just to escape the terrible wrongness that had come over him. He whispered, taking a few steps back, unable to get far when one of the animal's shadows he'd just been fighting was behind him.

Amuro sat up, one arm holding him steady and the other going to the stomach wound he had. He touched it, the dark black the same color as the rest of him. It wasn't just shadow, it was darker than that. It was a new shade of blackness that Conan didn't know existed.

Then he laughed.

It was wrong. It was so wrong and Conan found himself backing up again, not caring as he pushed past creatures that had just been willing to tear him apart.

" _ **Finally**_ **.** " The voice was not the blond's. It was dark, horrible, old. It hurt to listen to. His eyes, unlike his body, were glowing white and they turned to him as the shadow man got to his feet, grinning. " _ **Did you really think you could stop this? For interfering, I will show you exactly what it means to get on the wrong side of a god.**_ "

"You are no god."

Conan didn't know whose voice it was behind him, only that it was very close and made him jump, the female catching his attention as she held something in her hand that glowed red, clashing horribly with the blue light of the hour and hurting his eyes.

Kid was behind her, helping Hattori to his feet. The Osakan looked pretty beat up and needed the thief's help to stay standing. Seeing them somehow broke the spell that Amuro had cast on him, lessening the fear, making it bearable.

" _ **Insolent spell weaver. You are nothing compared to me. Do you dare to stand against us?**_ " Amuro's teeth were just as black as the rest of him but he could see the grin. Caught between them seemed like a very stupid place to be and he found himself turning his back on the thing he feared the most and hiding behind Kid. He knew he would never do that normally, as embarrassing as it was, but he wasn't thinking very straight right now. The though that Kid said he would not be able to see him tonight came to him, but it just as quickly vanished when Amuro laughed again.

The girl didn't seem fazed by it. In fact, she was smiling. "That man did not give himself to you. You did not win over his darkness. Until he does, you can not use his power." The red orb of light in her hand glowed and she whispered something that sounded Latin, though Conan couldn't catch what it was.

Red thread-like ribbons with the same red glow came out of the bathroom floor, wrapping themselves around Amuro's ankles and wrists. The man pulled at them, hissing in pain as he tried to get them to let him go. A few more appeared, encircling his waist and upper arms.

"Now, the rest of you. Unless you want to touch a Red Magi's spirit wards, I suggest you get out of here."

Conan was beyond confused, the creatures all shying away from the red light and the girl. Some of them had nowhere to go, the spider gone now as Conan turned to look out the broken window. They huddled in the corner or half out the window, trying to comply with the girl's wishes without bringing an end to themselves.

He felt her eyes on him a bit after, wondering for the first time if she thought he was one of them. He had to close his eyes, sitting back and too tired to stand on only two feet as he let his body come back. Her eyes stayed on him a while longer before turning to Amuro, the… was he even human anymore? Clawing at the ribbons and having no success, hissing and obviously in pain.

"You could give him back and then the pain will end." The girl shrugged. "Or we can do this every night for the rest of time."

Amuro laughed again, stopping his fighting. " _ **To think you believe you can hold a Darkling. We are more powerful than you. You will not be able to hold me more than a day. We will have this human's power and you will see just how foolish your actions have been.**_ "

The girl shrugged, her black hair flowing behind her in a wave. "We'll see who the foolish one is sooner or later." She turned to the three of them, her back completely turned on Amuro. "Since we have time can someone please tell me what is going on?" Her eyes flashed to Kid. "All I saw was you and darkness. You're lucky I was able to get to you at all."

Kid shrugged with a smile. "If we're playing question and answer, I need a few myself."

The girl shook her head and let out a breath. "Honestly, you get me mixed up in the worst possible situations."

Conan looked up from his spot on the floor, nursing more than a few bleeding wounds. "Question. Can we start at the beginning? Who are you?"

The girl smiled, her eyes flashing a violent red under her own light. He wanted to know how she was doing all this but he figured a name was a good place to start.

"Koizumi Akako, a Red Magi, or 'witch', as most of you are familiar with, and don't you think you owe me a thank you first? After all, I did just save your life."

"Umm… thank you?"


	10. Magic

**Chapter 10: Magic**

There were only ten minutes or so of the extra hour left. The girl, Akako, demanded they wait them out before there was any further conversation. Amuro had grown angry, either being restrained or ignored, and tore hard at his bindings, black blood dropping onto the floor where they cut into him.

Conan waited while Akako focused on keeping him still, all of them having to put up with his shouting as he tired himself out, animal noises emanating from his throat now and then.

Then the hour was gone, as if it had never been there. Color returned, even to Amuro, and the man simply fell to the floor, making Conan wince as the sound of his head hitting the bathroom tile.

He was hurt and tired but he found himself going over to him, checking his pulse and the blond's injuries. There were some pretty nasty wounds on his wrists that Conan hurried up and bandaged. Besides some deep bruising and faint piecing, his stomach didn't look nearly as bad as Conan feared it would.

The wounds themselves didn't worry him much after he tended to him. What worried him was that Amuro wasn't waking up.

Conan stood and turned to Kid and his friend. He had to guess this was the person that Kid hadn't wanted him meeting. Considering all that happened, he was grateful, but he was more than a little curious. "What's wrong with him?"

Akako laughed, her long dark hair moving more fluidly in this time, as if there were a breeze. "He was just possessed by a Darkling and you're asking me what's wrong with him? How simple are you?"

"Hey," Kid spoke up. "I have no idea what all of that was either."

Akako sighed. "Has the world of magic completely left the minds of everyone on earth? It revolves so strongly around several of you here and yet you can't see it. I'd call you blind fools if you understood how blind you actually are."

"I need ta sit down." Hattori wavered, Kid still holding him up with an arm over his shoulder. "Kin we talk in the other room?"

Kid nodded and helped the Osakan to one of the beds. Conan spared another glance at Amuro before leaving him where he was. He was too heavy for him to carry.

Once Hattori was sitting, Kid seemed to take it upon himself to make sure none of them were bleeding too badly. Conan had seen the thief act similarly around wounds before, but this seemed a habit. He wondered how often such a pacifist was faced with blood. Once both of them were in beds and checked over, Hattori laid out on his and in more than a little pain. Besides some cleaning up and a wet cloth with cold water on some of their more serious injuries, there was nothing they could do to care for themselves here.

"Where to start…" Akako mumbled to herself, sitting up on the dresser. "I suppose the Darklings are a good place. How much do any of you know about them?"

Conan shrugged. "They wanted Amuro-san because he was a 'see-er'. Before this week I didn't know anything like this could exist."

"Because they usually don't interact with our world. They are not from a different one, not like you're thinking, but they are of a different reality than our own. These realities, for the most part, do not interact. Sometimes you get a few anomalies, what with ours and theirs being so close to one another." She held her hands up and put them together as if praying. "Think of it as we are both sharing the same world, but the planes of existence themselves do not touch. Every now and then something big happens in one of our realities and will 'tear', for lack of a better word, a bit of the other. We are close enough that we can affect one another in this way."

"This sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel," Conan commented dryly.

It seemed to irk Akako, who shut up and gave him a glare that had Conan wanting to take back his words. After a few seconds of tense staring she eased up. "Again, most of the time our worlds do not interact. Besides anomalies, there are two other ways that one of us can affect the other. The first, since you apparently need the primary school version of this, is through Magi, witches, shamans - whatever you want to call any person, such as myself - who can call on powers beyond their own. While we're unsure how we can do what we can while other humans cannot, it's a common belief that our ancestors used to be from that other plane, giving us our own types of abilities that have mutated over the years."

Hattori raised his hand. "What 'bout me? I never had powers or whatever ya call these visions I get sometimes 'till I was bit. It wasn't like it was in that time so…"

"You were tainted, that was all. Anyone with a taint from that other reality will be compelled to return to it. Since we can't do that, as humans, what just happened results instead. It's a time when we are in their world, temporarily. It is _not_ ours. I had to taint myself briefly just to get transported to it. Midnight, the changing of the day, is something that humans devolved as a dividing point. Thus, it became the weakest point between our planes. It is the start and the end of the day. Why we're only connected for a limited time, no one knows. Likely because we wouldn't survive any longer."

Conan liked having all this new information but it was hard to get his mind around and he was hurt and tired. The professor would be here shortly and he didn't know what to do about that. For now he could wait and hopefully leave things to him. "How did we get tainted if we were never part of that plane to begin with?" Conan found that part the most confusing, and it would answer Hattori's question that she had glossed over as well.

"Sometimes people or animals slip in. Once tainted, you can spread it. The only way to do that though is through blood. It's hard and it's rare, but it happens." Akako shrugged. "I don't now what happened with all of you suddenly being tainted aside from the fact that someone is being a vague about it as possible."

Akako and Kid shared a look, one glaring and the other one looking like they were completely innocent of any wrongdoing. He had to wonder if the thief always used that look on people when there was clearly mischief in his eyes.

"I feel like throwin' up. Any way we can hold off on this a bit an' get the guy who doesn't need the bathroom out 'a there so I kin have it?"

"Sure, if you help me." Kid shifted and went over to the bathroom, looking pretty pale himself. Conan felt just fine. He watched the two of them drag out the blond man and lay him as comfortably as possible on the floor outside the bathroom while the door shut and Kid returned. Conan kept his eyes on Amuro.

"So, what's going to happen to him? He was attacked but shouldn't he be fine now?"

Akako smiled, the kind you would give a ten year old who just asked how babies are made. There was some humor there and more than a little superiority. "He wasn't just attacked, he was changed. Remember what I told you about the taint?"

She had just told him a few seconds ago and it wasn't as if he could forget. She wasn't looking for an answer either, as she continued, only trying to show off how obvious her explanation should be.

"When Darklings take hold of us, the way they did with him, they change us. There are some humans out there, walking around like mindless puppets. Most of the time they wind up in mental hospitals." She let out a breath. "Let's go back further so you can understand this. Darklings are old creatures, older than the world itself, which simply found an existence they could sustain when our planet was first created. I'm sure if you look into this yourself you can come across esoteric beliefs and others that have come into contact with them before. They've changed, as we have, and though they existed before any known record, they do age and they do die, just like we do. We're not sure how old some of them are but most fade away within a decade or so and never become very powerful."

"Their existence, was it always separate from our own?"

Akako nodded. "It had to be. They don't live the way we do. If you've noticed, most of their reality is comprised of ours, even if we cannot touch them. It is symbiotic relationship besides our own. There is no other way I can explain it any better than I already have."

"Right." Conan wasn't looking for that far in the past anyway. He wanted to understand the danger he was facing right now. If they had changed over time, comparing them to how the other 'plane' used to be would share as many similarities as he could compare himself to a dinosaur. "And Amuro-san?"

"They don't eat. They don't have to. What they do is absorb. Our energies are placed in things we've touched, places we've been. It reflects into their world and they survive off of it. They can take it directly from us though if we invade their plane. What that Darkling did was similar. It didn't only take though, it warped. It tainted as it stole. It made your friend one of them, any humanity in him fighting against it. We clash, like vinegar and water. One can't simply exist beside the other. When it tainted him and took over, it had to force him out first. Your friend fought back or he wouldn't still be in our plane." She looked over at the blond, some pity in her now purple eyes. "They are much stronger beings than us though. It had been right when it said that he wouldn't last another night or two."

"So he's… not human anymore?" Conan was confused, and more than a bit afraid that he had lost him and he hadn't even known it.

Akako tipped her head back and forth slightly. "He's in-between right now, part human and part Darkling – at least, for the next twenty-four hours or so."

"And what can we do to help him?"

Akako laughed. "Help him? He's tainted, fully. You looked pretty close to it yourself. At little more and you'll become a Darkling too. There is no 'stopping' it, not unless you can remove the taint, and I can't do that. I'm a Magi, not a healer." She looked thoughtful though. "I can't see a way your friend can overpower the being that he's becoming. There might be a way but I never liked to touch that other plane, not this close. It's dangerous. Summoning them to our world, where they can't exist without our power, is safer."

"Hey, Akako-san," Kid waved his hand at her, still leaning on the wall near the bathroom. "If there's a way to stop all of us from being 'tainted'," Kid actually air-quoted the word. "Then wouldn't that be able to help him get his sanity back? Not that I care that much." Kid looked from the blond to Conan and he had to put his hand to his face, remembering the last time the two of them were near each other. They both hadn't known who the other was and Kid had almost wound up dead.

"That was my fault. Don't blame him. A lot happened since then."

"In a few days?" Kid rolled his eyes, folding his arms and leaning back. "I shouldn't be that surprised, considering it is you."

Conan had nothing to defend against that with. A lot of stuff did happen around him, even when he didn't want it to. "Speaking of which, why are you here? I thought you had plans."

Kid shrugged and looked at Akako. "Someone can see the future and apparently it was better I be here than not."

That sounded like what Hattori could do. He looked over at Akako, seeing if he'd get an explanation, but the girl said nothing, finding it more worth her time to pick under her fingernail and keep all her secrets to herself.

"Okay then," Conan said, letting out a breath. "Back to Kid's question then. If we can get healed, won't Amuro's human side be able to take over again?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I'm not well versed on healing but I do know you're looking at this the wrong way. You're thinking of it as a disease, which isn't too far from the truth, but it can't be healed the same way." She thought for a second before speaking again. "You at least know of ghost stories, and possessions. It's more like that. Comparatively though, it's a cat taking on a horse. We're not nearly as old or strong so, while we can run around the hooves, sooner or later the horse will kill the cat and there's nothing the cat can do besides claw and bite and do very little damage."

Conan had to think of what he could do. He didn't have anything to fight against supernatural beings like this that, last week, he didn't even know were out there. It looked like doing anything about the portal wouldn't help but she hadn't brought it up and neither had he. He was more worried about what was in front of him right now. "What do you suggest we do then?"

"You, personally, should find a healer and fast. You're not all here yourself. I was worried that, like him, you'd be half trapped in that other plane. Any more taint and you'll lose your sanity as well." Akako strummed her fingers on her leg and looked at Kid. "You're blacker than I'd like too and you weren't in a fight, so I want to know what happened. The one being sick right now should get himself healed with the both of you. The man is already trapped. There's nothing you can do for him."

Kid didn't seem to like that idea anymore than Conan did and their expressions were likely what made Akako pause and let out a heavy breath. "I'm serious. He's too far gone. Come tomorrow he'll never exist on this plane. He wasn't eaten, and if he was that would be just as hopeless a fight."

"Let's start over then." Kid smirked and walked over to her. "A healer. You're not one but I'm pretty sure you know of one."

"Just one, yes. I found them recently, though I doubt they could help you."

"It's worth a try. Who?"

Akako pointed to Kid. "You."

The thief's eyes widened. "Come again?"

"Healers aren't like Magi, they don't possess the ability to cast spells the way we do. In fact, they do more the opposite. They _remove_ spells and other things that are harmful. For the longest time I was so confused as to why my magic wasn't working on you. It occurred to me some time after last month to check into it. It's why I haven't been trying anything. Even I'm not willing to play a losing game."

Kid looked at his hands and frowned. "But I'm tainted too. If I was a healer, wouldn't that have gone away as well?"

Akako shrugged. "Maybe you didn't want it to. Healers have an innate sense of choosing the right path, even when they don't know they've wandered into a maze. I'm sure even you've noticed you've had more than any human's share of good luck."

Kid looked thoughtfully at his hand, as if he could see something that wasn't there. Conan had to think back on the squirrels the other day. He'd touched them too and hadn't been more tainted. Kid wasn't the reason for that though… was he? That didn't seem possible. Contact in the past hadn't always tainted them in any case. It seemed more like blood was a catalyst.

"How can I heal us then?"

"You have to want to first, and I don't think you do. You and 'new shiny things' seem to be attracted to one another. Once the taint is gone, you'll no longer be able to go into their plane. Second, I have no idea how healers use their magic aside from it streaming from their desires. You'd have to ask a healer about that and you're the only one I've met in a very long time."

"Can I do it in our time?"

"Sure, why not? It's not like it's not still there. We just can't see it. The taint becomes a part of someone once it's attached, holding them to the other plane and becoming invisible here. I can take care of that though, if you want a visual. You'll have to give me ten minutes or so to get ready."

Kid nodded. Conan wasn't sure he wanted to disconnect himself from that plane, not before he understood why they were connected to begin with, but staying a part of it and in danger didn't seem like it would help much either. Conan looked up, seeing Kid was staring at him while Akako had turned to fiddle with the drawers, looking for something. "What?"

"Your friend from the professor's. I want to try this out but I don't want to heal someone completely, like you, and be screwed if I need your help come midnight. Do you think she'd mind being a test subject? I have no idea what I'm doing."

Conan would like it if Haibara were out of that time. The professor he wanted to keep with him, just in case they needed his power, but Haibara had already been a part of way too much that could put her in danger. "She should be. I can call her. I know she's not asleep."

Kid nodded and sat down at the foot of his bed while Conan took out his phone, looking at the blond. Conan waited for Haibara to pick up, calling the professor after and asking him to pick her up from Ayumi-chan's, before looking back at the thief who was clearly waiting for him to finish. It only took a second for Conan to notice, at this proximity, how close the shade of blue their eyes were to one another. "Your friend over there. If intent matters, I think you're going to have to tell me the whole story behind him. I don't mind wanting to save his life, but I have a feeling I'm going to need a little more than that."

Conan had just found out about Amuro a few days ago. He didn't want Kid knowing more than he already did. If it weren't for the disguise, he was sure the thief would already have been on their hit list and dead. He let out a breath and closed his eyes. "Fine. You have a point. Just don't repeat this to anyone else."

…

Hattori was sitting on the floor with him, still pale and sickly but no longer needing to stick to the toilet. Conan was watching Kid, trying not to get in his way, as the thief stood beside the bed with Haibara, facing one another while Akako drew a circle around them.

"Keep in mind, you can't really do any harm. As a healer, all you'll be able to do is remove anything harmful."

Conan hadn't thought about that at all before Akako said it and his eyes widened, making her stop drawing the circle. "Ah, wait a minute. Even physical things?"

"Yes." The witch tipped he head to the side with a smirk. "Something wrong with that?"

"It's intent too. I'm not an idiot." Kid smiled to him. "Don't worry about it."

Conan wasn't worried, not really. He was intrigued. For Haibara, it wasn't a possibility. For himself though… that opened so many doors if Kid could actually do it. He backed off, thinking on those thoughts. If Kid could affect their own world just the same, he didn't need Haibara then. He could be himself, after a while of course. He wouldn't just jump to have his own body back when there were killers out there looking for them, but this was a sure fire way at a cure.

"Stop thinking thoughts that will get us killed or I'll break this circle right now and make sure you're not thinking them again."

Conan met Haibara's glare with an innocent one of his own. He wasn't about to do it right now and she knew that. Besides, Kid had no idea what he was doing. He was sure it would take the thief some time to get used to this.

Haibara gave up trying to reason with him with her eyes and turned back to Kid. "And you had better not get me killed either." She didn't question how he likely knew about her predicament as well, what with Conan's reaction. He was sure the thief did some looking into them a while ago and missing records was a good indication that they were in the same boat, so to speak.

"Like I said, all Akako-san knows is that it relies on intent. I wouldn't do that to you, especially not with you saying straight to my face that you don't want me to. I know how to treat girls." He bent down on a knee, taking her hand in his and kissing the back of it. "I'll respect your wishes."

Haibara pulled her hand back but Conan thought he saw her blush. He was distracted from it by Akako standing up and dusting off her hands. "There. Now if you'll just give me one more moment." She reached down and touched the circle. Conan watched as it glowed red all of a sudden, the white powder that was likely flour suddenly alight like a neon light. In the red glow Conan could suddenly see even his own black marks. He looked his hands over, realizing how much of his skin had turned black.

Kid's and Haibara's were harder to see. Kid was wearing a lot of clothes and he was sure it was hiding his own marks. Haibara's he'd never seen, though he couldn't be sure Kid hadn't as he turned her around gently and lifted the back of her sleeve, near her shoulder.

"Can you at least give me a hint of what I have to do?"

"You're a medicine man and your tools are your fingers. I'd take the gloves off first. The rest, like I said, I have no idea. If you can do it without touch, I haven't seen it done that way."

Kid nodded, taking off one of his gloves. Pale skin touched the black markings that dotted her skin and the thief almost examined the markings that way for a few seconds.

Then something weird happened. The thief's hand seemed to glow where it came in contract with the skin and Kid's eyes unfocused. After running his fingers over her shoulder a few more times he let her go and the light at his fingertips faded. He stared at her a while, then at Akako. "Did I do it?"

"I think so. You got ride of the mark and it didn't feel like you hid it. I'd say it's gone. We'll know for sure tonight." She nodded towards Conan who raised an eyebrow. "I'd do him as well. He's so close to losing it that I doubt he can even tell."

"The circle?" Kid asked, afraid to cross it.

"Just don't' step on it and break it. I can keep up the light but it will only be that. You're going to lose all the focus I was helping you with."

"That's fine." Kid stepped out of the light and Conan saw him almost stumble and break it until he was beside him and bending down as well. Conan twitched when the thief's too warm fingers were on his arm and tracking over the dull blackness there.

"Don't worry, I won't get rid of all of it… unless you want me to."

Conan shook his head. "She might not know how to help but I'm sure someone out there can help. I just haven't found them yet. You are a good start."

Kid smirked, his eyes falling out of focus again as Conan watched the white light take away the marks. "I am. This worked well enough for the girl and it seems to be working for you. I can try it on him, if you want me to."

Conan hadn't thought he'd need to ask. Kid didn't seem like he wanted an answer either, just some sort of confirmation that that was the best course of action. Conan saw no _other_ option, so that made it the only one. "If you can't do it, I won't blame you." Kid seemed just as new to all of this as he was, though his friend wasn't.

"You first." Kid frowned, his eyes still looking like they were seeing something else. "Do you feel that?"

Conan raised an eyebrow. "Feel what? Your fingers?"

"No." Kid tapped him and Conan felt like someone had just stolen his breath from him for a seconds. "That."

"I didn't before you did that." He shifted, putting a hand to his chest and making sure he wasn't breathing abnormally. "What was that?"

"I told you, you were close to getting changed too." Akako was behind Kid, a dark crimson figure, seeming demonic compared to the white clad thief. "Cleansing you might hurt, and I don't mean just one of you."

Kid let out a breath. "Will I do any serious harm to him?"

"I'm not sure. Considering he wasn't changed, I doubt it. You'll both be sore and out of it for the next hour or two. When's the last time you ate?"

Kid smirked and turned away from him for a moment. "You're worried about my eating habits?"

"No, your energy. Just answer my question."

Kid shrugged. "Eight or so last night. I snack when I'm pulling an all-niter though. I had something around ten or eleven, before you stopped me from going out."

"Your fine. Just make sure if you pass out you finish what you start first. This is going to be new, to both of you, since I haven't been able to influence you." She smirked. "Have fun."

Kid rolled his eyes and turned back to him. "I'm going to pull this off. It's going to be hard not to take all of it. This feels like… like it's connected to everything that's kind of messing with your body. It's hard to explain. Like I said though, I'll try. If it hurts, I'm not going to stop."

"That's fine." If Akako had a way to even taint herself for a short period of time, he was sure he could get the method from her even if he lost his ability to go to that other plane again.

Kid flinched as he touched him again and Conan had to wonder if this was going to be like ripping off a band-aid. He didn't have much time to think on it, only feel something stab him in the chest when Kid pulled, a lot harder this time, and he must have blacked out.

…

"Hey! Hey!"

Conan was being shook. He opened his eyes to Hattori, apparently holding him since he couldn't feel the carpet below him. The Osakan let out a breath, relaxing. "Good, yer okay."

"Yeah." He had a headache that could have easily knocked him back out again but he felt fine otherwise as he put his hand up to his head. "What happened?"

"Dunno. Ya just kinda blacked out and Kid started sounding like somethin' was hurtin' 'im or something." Hattori helped him sit up and Conan could see the thief, now that he wasn't facing the ceiling, clear on the other side of the room and half curled up on himself and shaking. "Weren't more than a few minutes or so. Dunno what's wrong with him."

Akako sighed. "That's because you're an idiot. He's an untrained healer that just had to pull a bunch of taint to himself and not worsen his own condition. That meant destroying it complete, which isn't hard. He just tried doing too much as once. I'm sure it hurt like hell." She sounded like she couldn't care less but Conan's hard eyes, when he turned them on her, saw some regret there. He got up, feeling a little unsteady on his legs, and went over to him.

"Hey." Conan was afraid to touch the thief, not sure if he was hurt in some physical way or if he'd scare him. "Are you okay?"

Kid had his fingers digging into his own arms, his eyes closed tight and turned from him as much as he could be. The words seemed to ease some of the tension but the thief otherwise didn't move. Conan wasn't sure if it was the shaking or if the thief was nodding to him.

"Give him a few minute. Taint, in our time, translates different. In theirs, it's a manifestation of their being. As I said, they are creatures that steal our energy, our emotions, anything we leave behind that we don't need that we expand anyway. When that taint is touched in our reality it becomes something hungry, like a maggot on an old piece of meat. It hurts because we have to tear it away so forcefully."

Conan nodded, though he didn't really understand. It took Kid a full fifteen minutes to get himself back together enough that he was able to sit up and smile at them again, some tremors still there.

Conan shook his head and let out a breath through his nose, looking at Amuro. If it had hurt Kid so much just to get rid of his own taint – or most of it, if the thief had been able to leave any behind – helping Amuro might very well destroy the thief. He wasn't ready to risk one life for another, not when the chances were this bad.

"I'm sorry." Kid closed his eyes and continued to rest. "I'll try again later but not right now."

"That's alright." He wasn't going to say that the thief was probably the man's only chance but it was very much looking like that was and he was sure that Kid knew it.


	11. Blood

**Chapter 11: Blood**

They all stayed in the apartment. He was sure Kid did so simply because he was too tired to go anywhere else. Hattori wasn't feeling well and, when he rejected breakfast, Conan knew he wasn't going anywhere either. Why Akako-san didn't leave, he wasn't sure, but he took the chair that was in the room while Hattori and the thief got some sleep on the beds.

This was all so very strange and new to him, even if it was less confusing now. He wanted to help Amuro-san and getting him unconnected from that world was the only way he could see doing that.

But then, there were people all over the world then that could or were being subjected to that other plane. Most of them could be active there harmlessly, like Hattori, but he was sure if the detective was anyone else he wouldn't have remained as sane as he had.

He fell asleep, thinking of plans that had no chance of fruition. If not for the smell of food and Akako and Kid fighting over something that sounded like a girl and school, he could have slept all day with the way he felt.

Conan rubbed his eyes some time later, knowing time passed around him simply because of the amount of light and scent of food. "Any of that for me?"

Kid threw him a bag before he could open them all the way again and it landed perfectly in his lap. He hadn't thought the thief would actually have gotten him food. "Thanks."

"You owe me big." Kid took a bite of the sandwich he was eating and swallowed. "You've gotten me into so much trouble with that one 'little' favor. A steak dinner after this is over sounds like a good way of making it up to me."

Conan laughed to himself and opened the bag, getting a sandwich of his own out. He was a bit surprised when there was no mustard on it. He didn't know the thief had looked into him so well that he knew he didn't like it. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I'm going to try and help your friend, but tonight. We've got to hope he keeps himself for at least as long as it takes for me to do something about it. We were talking while you were out and that seems safer than me trying to banish something. If I'm already in the plane apparently it's more like separating than destroying. I don't now. I can kind of understand it. That means you owe me even more since I'm never going to make it to that heist."

Right. Kid had been going to steal something from the old man. Had that been last night or this one? Either way he supposed he was somewhat responsible for him missing it. He'd need to give Ran a call at some point, or make sure the professor did, so he wasn't missing out on his own life either. "Ran was saying something about that too. I think she was planning on going. Maybe it's better you rescheduled. Wouldn't want to crash a party without me there anyway, would you? I'm sure it gets tiring fooling those that have no chance of seeing through your tricks."

Conan caught the thief smile and take another bite of his food, not denying it.

"Yer all a bunch 'a weirdos." Hattori, who had apparently been in the bathroom again, came out and shook his head. "Sittin' tagether like this, talkin' 'bout missin' stealin' somethin' when black creatures from another space jus' tried ta kill us. Remind me again when I became the sane one?"

Conan had to laugh and heard Kid do so as well. Hattori did have a point that he and the thief had never been around each other this much before, but this was hardly the first time they found themselves on the same side. The Darklings and new hour were the only new additions. "If you're calling yourself the sane one, something is really wrong here."

It was nice to have a normal conversation like this, Conan realized, even if it was mostly teasing.

"Here." Kid threw Hattori a white bag as well. "You should really eat something. I might need your help tonight. If those things attack again, Akako-san will be restraining your friend and I'll be trying to… cleanse him? You and the little guy have to play guard dog."

"Oh, ha ha. How funny." Conan didn't miss the dig at him. "At least I'm good at what I do."

"And I'm not?" Kid raised an eyebrow and Conan had to take a bite of sandwich and ignore him. Kid, if anything, was _beyond_ good at what he did. Conan was sure that if more of his captors were serious about catching him that story might change, but since there were more people on the thief's side than not, it wasn't as if he couldn't say he wouldn't be able to beat his own friends if they switched sides.

Kid smiled and went back to his meal while Hattori took the bed again and eyed the bag as if it were poisonous. Being sick all day really didn't give one much incentive to eat anything. "Why are you so sick? We started the hour here." Conan didn't really understand it. They hadn't moved and he didn't feel as bad.

"I dunno." Hattori closed his eyes and let out a breath. "'member though, you just got rid 'a all your black stuff. I'm not exactly unmarked myself, an' those teeth freakin' hurt."

"That's a nice point to bring up." Akako had stayed quite for the most part since he had been awake and he had to get used to hearing her voice. "Your friend, aside from being dragged towards the other plane, is physically pretty hurt. It wouldn't surprise me if he's losing himself simply because he can't keep himself conscious."

"We just have to hope for the best then." Conan could see some blood and scraps on him, but Amuro-san didn't look all that bad. The wounds he had that had been cleaned up weren't life threatening. They wouldn't be nice to wake up with either but it shouldn't keep him out. He was sure the other had had training of some kind to make sure pain took a backseat role when it had to.

"I feel like hell." Hattori put his palms into his eyes and made some sort of dissatisfied grunt in his throat. "Ya have ta fix me after you fix him."

Kid winced, though Conan only saw it for a second and only because he was looking at him. "Maybe not tonight but if I'm up for it I can try for it tomorrow night. That's assuming everything goes as planned."

"Removing taint isn't as easy as it sounds. Think of the creatures that gave it to you." Akako was looking at Kid and he wasn't sure if he was reading the expression right. She seemed both sad and… something else. Some emotion that he couldn't pick out. "They are near gods in their world and they can easily tear us apart. It's like taking their power and putting it against your own. It requires a lot of energy and more so when you're not even in the same plane as the affliction."

"Okay, okay. I was good with 'a t'amarrow." Hattori let out another breath, letting his hands fall beside him and looking as if he were going back to sleep. If the two of them were the last lines of defense, they were going to have some serious issues tonight.

"Do you mind if I call someone?" Conan wasn't sure how many other people Kid would want in on this, but they needed help and there was no way he was going to rely on a sick detective with a stick and himself. Akai-san couldn't do much in this time but he could fight and that would be better than anything else he could think of. Amuro-san would be unconscious so there should be no issues. "There were three of us last night and that didn't even turn out well. Two of us hurt and we're all going to die, even if you succeed. You know you're going to be as good as useless after, and so will he."

Kid shrugged. "I figured I could at least fly out of here. I'm not sure what the rest of you would do. That isn't my problem. Go ahead and call someone else in, but they're keeping their hands to themselves and not using anything here against me, especially her," he said, jabbing a finger towards Akako.

Conan nodded. He understood that well enough. Kid had no reason to be here other than to help him and he was going above and beyond that. He would give up some ground for that.

He wasn't really sure if Akai would help either. The man was an unknown in most cases but he didn't like to see people die either and Amuro was such a great connection to the organization and its secrets that Conan couldn't pass this up.

It was late when the F.B.I. officer arrived, his disguise discarded since it would likely only get in the way or be destroyed in the other time. Conan let him in when he knocked, wondering as the man walked in, black hat and clothes standing out in the yellowed light, if he wouldn't have some advantage wearing that in the other hour.

Kid and Akako froze up but Conan smiled. "Kid-san, Akako-san, this is Akai-san."

Kid nodded his head in return slightly, lowering his hat more. Akako was more open, smiling and nodding her head as well, though changing her pose just slightly to move her hair just so. "Hello."

Akai smiled himself and closed the door. "Hello." Conan felt him looking towards him after. "I think you'll need to explain what's going on with me again. It hasn't been that long since we last talked and things seem to have changed drastically."

Conan nodded, a little less enthusiastically. He was tired and Hattori seemed to be honestly asleep at this point. He nodded to the bed. "Sit down."

…

It was dark and they were all sitting up. The door was propped open and they were ready to run this time. The other doors would turn just as easily since there were handles and no electrical lock. The front automatic doors were the only thing that posed a problem so Kid had gone downstairs and found an emergency exit they could use instead. The alarm would never have to go off by the time it was closed again.

Conan wasn't looking forward to this. He was nervous and angry still. What was left of his morale had been taken out with whatever taint had him seeing less of the world around him that morning.

Hattori didn't seem any better off. He was still sick though they'd managed to get him to eat something. He was currently sitting up against the wall, clearly as weary and afraid as Conan felt.

Akai was different. He hadn't fought any of these creatures and he seemed ready for them. Kid and Amuro were in the bathroom and Akako was in the hallway looking in, so as not to get in the thief's way. Conan couldn't see them though he felt the five of them, four if Kid passed out, were a pretty poor army to be taking on these creatures.

The light changed. Conan tensed. He saw Akai vanish as the time did and wondered if the man could control it or if he'd meant to make himself invisible. "Akai-san?"

He might have gotten an answer but the scream that tore thought he empty air drowned everything out. Conan had to hold his hands over his ears as Hattori stood as well and they peeked around the corner.

Akako was the only thing they could see and she turned to them, waving a hand and suddenly a wall was there, blocking off the hallway and the bathroom from them, immediately cutting off the sound as well.

"Huh. I didn' know she could do that."

Conan hadn't really seen _what_ she could do besides restrain. Apparently she was more gifted than they were in this time. That would make sense if she was calling herself a Magi.

"I didn't either." Maybe they would be fine tonight after all. It seemed she had more power than he thought and, as a dog and with wings, he and Kid could easily get away as well. Akai he didn't have to worry about and as long as Hattori, Amuro-san, and Akako stayed together the forewarning and her power should be enough to fend anything off.

"Stay sharp."

Conan heard Akai's voice though still couldn't see him. He turned and faced the window, feeling himself turning back into a dog. He winced when a lot more of his weight had to go on his front paw than it had on his shoulder. While it hadn't hurt much when he was human, as an animal the muscles and damage were different. He shifted so his other leg was taking most of the pressure off and saw Hattori kneel beside him.

" _Ya know, when ya change, ya don't keep the bandages. Be careful."_

Conan nodded his head. He obviously hadn't kept his clothes when he'd turned the first time. He hadn't thought the bandages would stay.

Cut off from the others he had no idea what he was going to do. Obviously he was meant to be one of the defenders but he was too curious, wondering what was going on beyond the dark wall, to really focus much. Thankfully his hearing was great and he heard when the first creature started climbing the outer wall and turned, growling at it to warn the others, before turning back and watching the magical wall.

Hattori did what he'd been trying to do before and stood beside the window with his sword, waiting for the creature to show up. It wasn't the same spider that had been there last night. This one was much smaller so it could fit in the window and Hattori didn't have much trouble sticking it a few times and kicking it back out. The spider's legs came at the Osakan but they didn't do any damage. It wasn't as if they were sharp and the spider couldn't reach far enough in while holding the wall and getting struck to get much leverage.

Another spider came in next, this one with hairier legs and many more eyes that glowed large and bulbous in the blue light. It tried to stay low and take the blows but Hattori changed tactics, grabbing it when its legs were more focused on holding than hitting and simply throwing it back out, using the sword again when a few of its legs managed to hang on.

The dark skinned teen was out a breath but took the time to turn to him while there was a pause. "Easier than b'fore at least."

"For now." Conan wasn't going to trust that the same thing that happened last night, the large spider coming in while the others road its web as it cleared the way, wouldn't happen again.

Akai stayed invisible and Conan should have been glad. He wasn't though, since his nose could still pick up on his scent and it was distracting him, making his mind think and want to follow it to figure out exactly where Akai was instead of just an educated guess. He shook his head, wondering how much the instincts of a real dog should be affecting him in a plane that obviously wasn't his own.

He didn't have much more time to worry about that when a noise from behind caught his attention. He turned and yelped, pulling away as large shadowy claws dug deep into his back.

Half standing and half crouching to try and make the wounded part of him less accessible, he stared and tried to analyze what he saw.

The something before him hadn't come in the open door. He knew that much only because Akai's scent had gone that way. There would have been some warning if it had passed him. That was what he was afraid would happen if the creatures had been able to open either glass automatic ones or the back door. The stair doors would also have slowed them down. He was sure the FBI agent had though the same and was taking care of that.

No, this was most assuredly one that was in the room. The scent told him more than the visual that it was Amuro-san, though he didn't look much like himself anymore. He was still… human, if what he was could be called human. He looked taller, his skin covered in black, moving shadow as if it were alive. His blue eyes weren't blue anymore but held that same white-blue glow they had taken on when he was looking at something else. His fingers were long and claw-like. If he was wearing clothes or shoes, Conan couldn't see them.

He could see sharp white pointed teeth grinning at him with those glowing eyes. " _ **Miss me?**_ "

Conan whimpered, pushing his ears back. He hated that voice. It was different than the wolf's but it hurt all the same. It felt too old and too different in ways he couldn't explain.

"Shit." Hattori had turned at some point because Conan felt him grab the back of his neck, half cutting off his air for a moment as he pulled on him, hard, to drag him back and around the beds. The other teen stood in front of him, sword in hand, but made no move to attack.

" _ **Smart, but you're too late. Do you think we'd stop after you hurt so many of our own?"**_ That shadow person who was - or at least used to be - Amuro, stepped forward and around to Hattori's little defensive spot. He reached out when the teen tried to hit him with the sword and grabbed the shaved blade. " ** _Now, now. You're going to have to fight better than that."_**

Conan couldn't see anything but a second or two later Hattori closed his eyes and screamed, falling to the floor. Conan tried to stand but he was too hurt to do more than look over the Osakan's shoulder and growl.

" _ **Saw your death just now, didn't you?"**_ There was that wicked grin again. He didn't know why but something about this one seemed different than the wolf, darker, less sane.

He would have liked to say that Akai took that moment to come to their rescue but he didn't. It would have been wonderful if he had but the other's smell had been gone for a while now, and there was no way he could tell what was transpiring here now.

Hattori had dropped the sword when he fell, the shadow creature throwing it aside. He grabbed Hattori's arm, pulling him up to his feet, and it looked like he punched him.

Only, as Conan took a step forward to help, he hadn't punched him. Hattori had blood running down the sides of his lips as he coughed, black claws coming out of his stomach where far too much blood fell out of and onto the floor. Conan had to wrinkle his nose, smelling something vile soon after.

The creature let Hattori go and the dark skinned teen fell back to the floor, his eye half open in shock and pain, an arm barely going to the large wound now in his stomach.

Conan whimpered, going back as far as he could and feeling the wall. He couldn't run, not even to save his life, with the wound he already had. He didn't want to leave Hattori either though. There were other things on his mind, things he could barely focus one as dozens of them came to him at once, leaving none accessible.

The dark thing smiled at him, reaching and grabbing him where Hattori had just a minute before. There was no way to dig into the floor to stop himself being pulled forward.

A red, blinding light hit him and he thought he had died. There was a snarl that was inhuman and for a moment, he had thought that was him as well.

He felt his fur fall back into place, the claw leaving as the shadow creature too a step back to hide its eyes. The shadows around it fell away for a second and Conan could see Amuro again, his skin black and his eyes still that unearthly white. Akako was standing across the room, out of breath and blood on her clothes. "No."

The shadows, shadows Conan barely recognized now as looking very much like the ones that had bound Amuro earlier, came out of the floor and tried to encircle him again. This time he swept them aside with his hand, glaring at Akako. " _ **How dare you try and fight me? How**_ **dare** ** _you hurt me and bind me! I will have you, mark my words. You will be mine and mine alone and I will make you regret making me an enemy."_**

Amuro eyed the window for a moment before simply jumping out of it, leaving the rest of them alone in the room. If there were more creatures on the walls, Conan wasn't sure. He knew that there was still a long time before the hour ended.

"Hurry. He's dying."

There was a light in front of him. Kid. The thief raced out of the hallway after Akako had given him the all clear, going over and kneeling beside Hattori. He winced and put his hand over the wound. "This is so going to hurt."

A white light started appearing around his hand, showing off details that even the blue time didn't reveal, real color coming back where the light touched.

Kid was absolutely covered in blood. His white outfit wasn't so white anymore. It was torn down the front and ripped open, showing off deep, bleeding scars that the thief would have for the rest of his life.

Conan tried to look over at Akako, look anywhere but at Hattori, but couldn't make out any new injuries on her. Her clothes and skin were stained dark colors in a few places, but nothing seemed to have hurt her.

"I'm going to pass out after this. Kami, why does it have to hurt so much?" Kid closed his eyes and the white light intensified to the point where it was blinding him and Conan had to close his eyes, nowhere to turn and nowhere to go to get out of the light.

Then it was gone and he saw the thief check Hattori over a moment before falling to the side, his hat coming most of the way off at the odd angle that he found himself at.

Conan didn't dare to look over for a few seconds. It wasn't until Akako went down to her knees beside the thief, checking him over, that Conan looked as well.

The hole in Hattori's stomach was gone. The blood was still there, as was the blood on his lips, but he breathed in and out just fine, as if he were asleep. There wasn't even a mark to show where the wound had been, just ruined, soiled clothes to speak of the damage.

"Wow." Conan knew there were a lot of things to think on right now, but seeing something like that… it just left him amazed.

"It came at a cost. Nothing in this world is free." Akako's eyes were sad as she pushed Kid's hair aside, giving Conan a perfect view of his face. Kid, as he thought, looked very much like himself. His hair was a mess though. It wasn't as if he could fault him for it with what had just happened. "He feels any damage that he takes away. That's why healers aren't as all powerful as people think they are. That was a mortal wound. It should have killed your friend. In turn, it very near almost killed him to heal it."

Conan swallowed, looking closer at Kid. He was pale and breathing hard to be unconscious, but he didn't seem any more hurt than he had before. Conan's attention was again drawn to the marks on his chest. "Why didn't he heal himself?"

Akako smiled and looked into his eyes. "He did, or tried to. He had been trying to cleanse your friend as it was. It took most of his power and attention and he was struck when your friend slipped up and let too much of himself go. If it weren't for me that would have killed him too. Your friend got away and he tried to heal himself. It used to be deeper and he made the wounds less so. He stood and swore, then followed off after your friend like the idiot he is. I figure he stopped because he knew healing himself would have taken most of his energy and he wanted to save it. That might be giving him too much credit though. He hasn't been a part of the supernatural world like I have and he shouldn't be able to realize that kind of thing."

Conan nodded, trying to stand and wincing before sitting back down himself. He knew that he wouldn't be moving for a long time to come, or until Kid was conscious enough and could heal him as well. "What did you do to scare him off?"

"Just some warding magic. It doesn't work on all of them, especially not the older ones. We got lucky. The one who got him last night isn't that old."

Conan didn't know what to do. He was hurt really bad. Hattori had just almost died it front of him. It looked like Kid almost had as well. Akai… he had no idea where Akai had gone, but he figured something had caught his attention. Even if he had been here, there was nothing he could have done. And now… "Was it all for nothing?"

"I wouldn't say 'nothing'. It was stupid though, on all our parts. I should have hurt him more to keep him down. This idiot should have not been as close as he was, though proximity does help and touch is a necessity. You and the lucky one who's out on the floor should have run instead of tried to stand and fight. The other at least looks like he came out of it with minor wounds. We all made mistakes today. If it were me, I'd tell you to leave this world as it is now. There isn't much hope and you'll die if you stay."

" _There's a little."_ Kid still didn't have his breath back and he had started to sweat. " _He's not gone, not yet. I was so close…"_

"You idiot." Akako hit Kid lightly on the head. "Get some rest before you pass out again."

Kid didn't seem to have a problem with that and closed his eyes again, falling into what Conan wanted to call sleep but it seemed like he was still more conscious than he should be.

"Akai-san, he-"

"He's outside. He was scouting the area. I'm not sure if the ones that were trying to get in through the stairs are still there or not but I felt them come. Either he was holding them off or he was holding the door closed. Either would have worked and the second would have saved some pain."

Conan nodded. He figured Akai was doing something like that. After all, there really hadn't been much sounds of a fight in here and none of them had called for his help. "Thank you. You saved us."

Akako smiled. "Yes, but this will likely be the last time I do. That thing just swore revenge on me and I'm not an idiot. Sticking around here with all of you will get me killed."

Kid shifted, moving his arm so he could reach over and grab Akako's. They looked at each other for a few seconds and Kid smiled. " _I need your help._ "

Conan wasn't sure what was going on between the two of them, but he saw how torn Akako was about it. Eventually she let out a breath and smiled. "Well, there's always tomorrow night."


	12. Rest

**Chapter 12: Rest**

The hour ended and Akai returned to the room. Apparently there had been several creatures that he'd more or less trapped in the hallway. There was only two ways in and, as he had that one covered, the man had figured it was better to stave off what he could than fight from two openings.

Conan had to agree that he had a point but he wasn't in much better shape than Kid seemed to be at the moment. Nodding in understanding was too hard to do and he lay on the bed in a lot of pain, trying to ignore it. Thankfully Hattori had woken up soon after the real night came back and had been able to bandage and medicate him.

Hattori should have needed to go to the hospital. He should have needed a coffin, if Conan was being true to himself. Now, he wasn't even sick like he had been earlier.

"Ya know, ya look like hell."

Conan smirked, not caring to say anything back. A lot had happened and he was hurt and tired and now he wasn't sure if there was a way to get Amuro back. It had been halfway into the time that he'd changed. There was no way to be sure if he had lost himself completely after he had left the room.

Kid was out, Akako tending to him, but the thief had as good as lost his identity to them when he'd fallen unconscious. There was no good way to keep his top hat on when he was on the bed without situating it himself and Hattori had been the one to bandage the thief up. Said thief was currently wearing some of Hattori's clothes that he'd brought with him since there had been nothing else to change him into.

"What's 'is name anyway?" Hattori asked Akako. Conan couldn't be a part of their conversation, speaking hurt too much, but he could close his eyes and listen.

"Kuroba Kaito. You'd find it out some way or another and he's in no condition to protect his identity right now. If he wants someone to blame for that, he can blame himself."

Hattori drew back a little, looking at the thief who, strangely enough, looked either shorter or younger. Conan couldn't be sure which and it was too hard to turn and see better.

"Or you," Akako corrected. "I'm sure he would have been fine if he hadn't had to save you. That's just the kind of thing he does though."

"It's not like I'm gonna tell anybody, not after… not after all 'a this." Hattori waved his hand, letting it rest near his stomach after. "Not like I kin really peg 'im for anythin'. Hasn't really stolen nothin' since he gives it all back anyway."

"Feeling some regret there? You're the one who didn't run when he should have. If you'd let him attack the little one, odds were Kuroba could have simply saved him and not have had to deal with two of you being injured."

Hattori clenched his hand. "'e was already hurt. Do ya think 'e would'a lived through it?"

Conan let out a gruff noise. Talking was too hard but one sound didn't hurt all that much. It was his only way of saying 'I'm here too, you know'.

He felt a hand lightly touch his head, likely Hattori's since they were the ones sharing a bed. It cut off most of his vision.

"Why don'cha get some sleep? I'm sure 'e'll heal ya when 'e's better too."

Conan hoped that was soon. It wasn't even light out and already he was wishing it were. He needed to get some sleep but he didn't feel it coming, not after everything that happened.

He did close his eyes though and forgot about the troubles of the world for a while. Maybe a minute or two. Then they were back and he was thinking on them even in the darkness around him that seemed like it was sleep but felt more like some internal version of him thinking to himself, his subconscious not daring to let him dream.

…

Conan wasn't really sure what was going on when he woke up. It was louder and he sat up.

He sat up... it didn't hurt.

He looked around and Kid, or Kuroba, grinning at him was the first thing he saw. "Morning, sleepy head. Or should I say afternoon. Late afternoon too. We were getting worried."

"It wasn't like you were up much longer."

Conan saw a fry be thrown at Kid and, instead of hitting him, the thief caught it and ate it.

"Not like it was my fault. The second I woke up I had to heal him too. That takes a lot out of someone."

Conan had figured that was why he was feeling better. He didn't hesitate as he fully sat up and his stomach growled, the food scent around him filling the air. Several of the others laughed.

"Don't' worry. We were all hungry. It was the blood loss. I replaced what I could by creating it, and that is _not_ easy, so you have to fix up the rest." Kid threw a bag at him, this time it hit him and fell on the bed. Conan dove at it, finding fast food this time and not caring. He was starving.

Not much conversation went on while they were all eating, or waiting for him to finishing eating. Hattori seemed in better spirits than he had in days and Akai-san was hanging off to the side, trying to be unobtrusive.

The two newest anomalies were sharing the same bed, sitting close to one another, and Conan couldn't help noticing Kid bobbing his head now and then, as if he were preventing himself from falling asleep sitting up.

"Why don't you rest if you're still tired?" Conan finally asked, gathering together what little garbage he had and stuffing it in the bag.

"It's not fatigue." The female witch threw her hair back, as it had once more found its way in front of her body where she didn't want it. "It's the only way our bodies know how to deal with energy drain. While sleeping wouldn't be the worst, he's far too low on energy right now to risk it. Being active and eating, regaining some energy through basic motion, is a much safer way to go about it. If he were to sleep right now he would regain nothing and we then have a risk of him not waking back up. With none of us able to transfer energy besides Kuroba-kun, he'd be stuck in a coma." She glared at Kid, who wasn't able to see it, as he was mostly turned away from her. "I told you to wait until tonight to heal him. You're like a gas tank running below the red line. Do you have any idea what happens when you use up all your magic, being the kind of user you are?"

"I get the idea." Kid waved her off. "And it's not like I can't regain this energy or whatever back any faster than he would heal, so either way it puts one of us at a loss. At least mine isn't pain related."

"If you pass out and don't wake up the consequences will be much more dire than if the boy weren't mobile for however long."

"Details, details. I already made my decision." Kid closed his eyes and leaned back against her. "Just keep me awake then."

"Easier said than done." Conan didn't miss when the glare turned into a soft smile though, the kindest expression he'd seen from her in the time that he'd come to know her. She backed up and pushed Kid forward once more. "I'm sorry I can't let you rest. You know, _you_ are still hurt as well."

"'s not really bothering me." Kid sat up and rubbed his eyes, not seeming any more awake. While they were eating he seemed to only get sleepier. Conan wasn't sure what he could do to help and, on impulse, he threw the bag at the thief.

Kid was too out of it to catch it and it hit him in the head, making him turn towards him with a shocked expression.

"Well, I'm not sure how to keep you awake, but I can at least do _something_. Next time it might not be so light, so stay on your toes." Conan smirked, unable to help it.

Kid's expression slowly shifted to match his own before the thief laughed. "I can't even tell if you're joking or not. This is what I get for saving both of your lives?" He brought a knee up, resting a socked foot on the bed, his eyes gleaming. "Game on."

"Not ta ruin the mood here or anythin', but what're we gonna do now?"

There was silence, each of them thinking over what individual moves they would make. A lot of it relied on Kid's help, and the thief had seemed more than willing to give it, but it was becoming more deadly for him. Conan would understand him turning his back on someone who had as good as tried to kill him, if that was the only way he still saw Amuro-san.

"You're all looking at me. It's not like I don't know why. I said I'd do something and I haven't done it yet, so my plan for the foreseeable future is to make sure I finish what I started."

Conan was smiling to himself and he didn't miss Hattori's or Akai's. Akako was the one who didn't seem as pulled in by Kid's words as the rest of them. She shrugged, giving her own impersonal consent, and looked out the window.

"Our new issue is how we're even going to find your friend. He isn't completely Darkling yet, so I can likely trace him, but I'd need something of his."

This time they all turned to him and Conan shook his head. He had nothing of Amuro's and anything that could be used was likely in his car. Conan wasn't sure he wanted to go looking for that just yet. Chances were it was in the hands of someone from the organization. There was a chance it wasn't though. "Let me check. I might be able to find something by tonight."

"I can't help you. I've never had anything of his." Akai shrugged and stuck his hands in his pocket, leaving the room. "You can call me before tonight and tell me what's going to happen. I have some things I want to do before then."

Conan nodded, unsure what Akai had to do while he was in hiding, but he wasn't going to ask him to come out with it in front of all these strangers. That or, looking around, maybe Akai was simply uncomfortable around so many who were younger than him.

"He's not going to rat me out, is he?" Kid pointed towards the door. "Because that's going to make helping a lot harder if I'm running from the police."

Conan shook his head. He was sure Akai was one of the people who could understand using the help of someone on the other side of the law. He'd been in the organization and would have seen worse people than Kid. "Don't worry about it. If he were going to do something like that, he'd make it really obvious, probably telling you before he left to see if you could either stop him or let you have a chance to run." While Akai was great at deceiving people, there were bigger fish to fry at the moment. "You'll be safe, at least for the foreseeable future."

"That makes me feel _so_ much better. Well, I'm going to go and get some things settled myself. I'd like a shower too. I might be back in the next few hours. If I'm not, I'm sure Akako-san will hunt me down to make sure I'm still in the world of the living." Kid stood and waved back, going out the front door as well. The window was open and he could have made a showy exit if he wanted to. The fact that he didn't made Conan worry some. Either the thief was too hurt or didn't want to risk scaling a building with the fatigue.

"I need a few ingredients for my locating spell aside from something of your friends. I'll go pick them up later but I'm fine staying here for now. I suppose you two will be leaving to go find something?"

Would he? He still didn't know where Amuro's car was and that was a lot of looking around. Maybe there was something at the café that was his but Conan had a feeling with the type of guy he was that he wouldn't leave anything with is DNA just lying around. "I'll need to make a few phone calls first." The professor should be able to hack into whatever files he needed so he could get a phone number. Since Amuro couldn't contest him using his voice he should be able to get his answers.

"I'm not really tired anymore so I'm gonna walk 'round or somethin' ta jus' get myself movin'. How ya guys can sleep all day, I dunno. I'll be back soon, with snacks."

…

Having slept most of the afternoon away, it was dark out before Kid returned. Hattori had come back a while ago with more chips than they could hope to eat and the thief went about grabbing an unopened bag and freeing its contents.

"I've been waiting for you." Conan got off the bed, knowing that he would need the professor now. They were just too far away. "Can you drive manual?"

"Ah." A chip hovered in front of the thief's face before he shook his head. "I know some of the basics but I've never been in one myself."

"You can fly an airplane but not a manual car?" Conan raised an eyebrow.

"And a helicopter and a bike and a tractor. All things I've come into contact with. No one I know drives stick." Kid seemed insulted, eating a few more chips.

"Okay. Since you and Hattori can both drive a bike, I'm sure we'll manage somehow. I'm going to need you to look like Amuro-san. I can't go in there and just get his car myself."

"We're taking the car? Can't we just get whatever's inside and bring it here?"

"I thought about that but the man would be cautious of what's inside. I'm not sure anything that could be left in there would be enough to track him. I've never seen him carry anything constantly that I would call his and money and anything like that would have changed hands too much. His car on the other hand can't be anything other than his."

"Hm. I guess. I can disguise myself just fine but where is it we're going?"

Conan had to smirk. "We're going to be breaking into a police security facility. I'm sure you can manage it. You'll need to get us both in there without being seen but there's no ID necessary for getting out. Just don't say anything stupid and it should all work out."

Kid's eyes widened. "You want me to break in to something like that? They'll be cameras. I can't be sure they won't catch me looking like your friend or you."

"That's fine. He can explain that away later. And what are they going to do to me? I'm just a kid." Conan shrugged with a smile.

"How much do you get away with with that excuse?" Kid stood and looked at his watch. "It's a little after ten. How far away are we going?"

"Forty minutes if we're not dealing with traffic. It'll be cutting it close so the professor is going to come too and ride with us. Akai-san will be in his car to drive it as far as he can if we still have time. We'll pick him up if we run out."

"And that will help because…?"

"Because the professor can drive and use electrical items in this time where we can't." And that made sense, what with how much he tinkered around. "When the hour changes he can't fight though so he's going to stay in the car with the doors locked. Considering they're automatic, it should keep him safe enough. He can drive away if they don't. You can give him the basics of how to drive or I can."

"Okay…" Kid scratched his head, his eyes closed. He opened one of them to stare at him. "So this whole time instead of fighting these things you and your friends could have just rode around in a car to get away?"

Conan shook his head. "You didn't get to see the one that came to us a few nights ago. There's no way a car could stand up to it, or any other creature like it. We would have been killed with no way to defend ourselves."

Hattori shivered. "Thanks fer the image."

"So you hid somewhere where something big couldn't come and get at you. I guess I understand that. Give me a minute so I can get changed." Kid vanished around the corner, into the bathroom. Conan waited, wanting to look over the disguise. Kid had a good look at him before and after now so he wasn't worried.

"Hattori, you and Akako-san should stay here. We'll be back as fast as we can. If anything happens, can you two take care of yourselves?"

"I'm not staying in this room. Are you insane?" Akako looked down at him with an emotionless expression. "That thing knows where we are. Full Darkling or not, it wants to kill me, if not the rest of you. It never said it would do it alone. I think we should have another meeting place other than here. While we want to find your friend, we don't want to kill ourselves when we're overrun."

She had a point. Conan didn't know where else to meet though. With the professor with them, the tower wasn't out of the equation anymore. That meant that they'd have to protect him too at the same time they were trying to find Amuro-san. "Hide in the tower. If we're on time, come down and meet us. I'm guessing we won't be though and we'll have to come up and get you unless you want to take all the stairs."

"With the Darklings about? Not a chance."

"We'll come get you then. You'll track him and then we'll assess the situation. If it's too dangerous for just the few of us, we'll back up and regroup. If not we'll try and get him alone, or as alone as possible. Hattori, you and me will be protecting Kid and we'll do what we did last time with Akako-san restraining him."

"Except that didn't work," Akako pointed out. "He may not be old but with how much of himself your friend lost, he's stronger than me now."

"Right." Conan put his hand to his chin. None of them could restrain someone. Maybe Akai could physically help while being invisible, but that wasn't the best option. Kid had scars still to show that getting close was a bad idea. "How much stronger do Darklings make us? You use magic and he tossed it aside, but what about physical strength?"

"It would be however strong your friend is. While size is relative to strength, that is all. They reflect our world in their own way and their strength is comparable to what basic information they get from our plane."

"So while Kid can't fight, having a fighter against another fighter won't put either at a disadvantage." He'd have to talk to Akai-san to make sure he was willing to do that. Since he was with the professor right now, that would have to wait.

"Oi!"

Conan turned to Kid when the thief stuck his head around the corner, walking in as Amuro-san's duplicate if not for his voice. "We might have a bit of a problem."

"What?"

Kid took out his phone, opened to a weather application. "It's raining. It says it will be all through the night."

"And?" Conan was sure Kid could disguise himself good enough that the rain wouldn't be too much of a hindrance. Maybe the darker skin he was now sporting would be hard to keep up, but there should be ways around that.

"Time stops. What do you think happens when time stops and it's raining?"

"Shit," Conan swore to himself. That would be a nightmare. The car should be able to handle it, but it meant they would be trying to follow a trail while soaking wet and leaving it very obvious where they had been.

"Does bein' wet bother the Darklings?" Hattori asked the witch.

Akako shrugged. "Not to any great extent. They'll be wet but they are more like animals than we are. It won't slow them down like it would us."

"Got any brilliant ideas there, detective?" Kid shot at him, just a little annoyance mixed in with the hesitation.

"Would the rain actually get us wet? Or would it be like hitting cold droplets and they'd fall off?"

"Fire will still burn you in that time. Water will still get you wet. It's far denser so each drop won't completely soak into you, but they are so small that it won't make much difference. Surface area does matter." Akako shrugged. "We could always get some water resistant clothing, but I'm sure that would make more noise than what you were going for."

Kid grinned. "Or we run around naked."

That… That wasn't a bad idea. Conan looked up at Kid and he grinned. The thief stared back, his eyes widening some.

"Ah, I was kidding."

"No, it's perfect."


	13. Joy Ride

**Chapter 13: Joy Ride**

With no one owning a car, Conan and Kid had to take the bus to the facility. It wasn't the worst but it slowed them down dramatically. They'd also had to stop at the store for a few moments since he hadn't been able to go back to the agency. Conan should have just had Akai come pick them up and drop them off. The glider wasn't any use in the rain.

Once there, the thief made easy work of the cameras they came across and the fence that he'd had to hold onto him for. Kid was far too athletic for his own good. There was no way that he should be able to do half of what he did that would break someone else's leg if they had tried it. Maybe it had something to do with being a 'healer' and he just didn't get hurt as easily.

Conan had no idea where the car was besides somewhere in the garage here. Neither had to hide once they were in and it was easy enough to have Kid ask where they'd put his car before being led to it.

Getting in the passenger seat while Kid thanked the man and got in the car himself, the thief checked the ride over. "Wow, now this is a sports car. The one I have is so outdated that I can't compare them. While it's a bit on the older side too, I wouldn't mind owning one." The thief fiddled around in the car until he came up with the keys. Since Amuro hadn't had them on him at the time, Conan had figured he'd turned them over at some point. "The visor? Really?"

"No one is expecting us to steal it."

Kid grinned. "That's why I love the police. They're always too confident. Why is his car here anyway?"

"Later. Get us out of here first." Conan checked his watch. "It's already twenty minutes to midnight."

"On it." Kid put the key in the car, failing to start it. He was about to tell him that he needed to use the clutch but the thief bet him to it, getting it started on the next turn of the key. "You said you know how to drive, right?"

"Yes?" Conan didn't think he'd have to repeat himself.

"Good." Kid reached over and grabbed him, placing him on his lap while he moved the seat back some. "You're driving. Tell me what to do and once we get out of here you can stand up and do the steering yourself too. Jerking this car around will only get us a bunch of attention."

Conan shook his head. Seeing a kid in his lap would get them a bunch of attention too but at least from this position he could see the RPMs. "Fine. Put your foot back on the clutch if you took it off and shift into first. Slowly let go of it and give it some gas after. Go slow through here and we'll talk about shifting gears once we're outside."

"Okay." Kid did as he was told, stalling the car once when he slowed too much before Conan had to instruct him that he couldn't just stop the car while it was in first gear.

To be fair, the thief caught on pretty fast. Conan hadn't expected anything else. Kid was an annoyance for sure, but one with a high learning curve. It made him good at what he did and was likely the reason the thief hadn't been caught.

"Hey…"

Conan turned to face Kid as best he could while the other was exiting the complex. It was strange hearing his voice while looking at Amuro-san. Aside form when they weren't alone, the thief hadn't been using the other's voice. Kid didn't say anything for a while before he sighed.

"If I can't do this or if something happens to me, the rest of you guys should probably get out of there. I know how you are but we both know there's nothing you can do. I have this weird magic and I'm sure I'm not the only one. If I screw up somehow I'm sure Akako-san will at least be able to get out of there and find someone else who can do what I can. Don't stick around and get yourself killed."

Conan didn't say anything, turning back to watch the gauges. He made sure to look up and keep his eyes on where he was going along with glancing at his watch as the rain struck the car in a little pitter-patter noise, the only sound since the radio wasn't on.

"If I think it's not hopeless, we'll all try to get away and regroup. Leaving you behind will be something I'll only do if I'm forced to. I don't plan on dying tonight or any night following and I don't plan on you dying either."

Kid laughed and he felt him shrug. "I don't either. I was just making sure. I didn't get to see you fighting much but I did notice you're still pretty small. Don't get in over your head."

"As if we aren't already."

"Point taken." Kid shifted into second and then third as he hit the road. There was no reason Conan had to explain anymore than he had. He was sure the thief understood up and down shifting well enough that they'd be fine. He'd just have to make sure the car was stopped at midnight or be ready as soon as the professor got in.

Then he shifted into forth and was going way too fast for the roads, ready to shift again.

"Oi!" Conan found himself holding onto the thief's pant leg. "Slow down! You know that Akai-san is following us!"

"I know. It's not like your friend here will get in trouble though. He's with the police, right? And the ones back there," Kid tapped his review mirror, "Are keeping up just fine."

"Keep your hands on the wheel at least! You barely know how to drive this thing."

"I'm a fast learner." Kid skidded around a car, going far more to the side than Conan was comfortable with. The thief didn't seem ready for how much they moved either, cutting the wheel the other way to keep from spinning. "Tsk. Rear wheel drive. That's okay. I can work with it."

"You really don't need to be driving like this _before_ we face all the danger." Conan took the time to switch to the other seat while Kid was having his fun. He didn't need to be in his lap and he'd rather look out the window. "Akako-san won't be happy if you wreck the car before we get there."

"The tower is half an hour away and I have ten minutes." Kid shifted again, skidding hard and sending up smoke and water. "I'll make it. I'd rather not have the old man in the other car breathing down my neck about my driving."

Conan wasn't going to fight him on it if the thief thought he could get the car there fast enough. With traffic lighter, there was a chance that he _might_ take in most of the distance. This was Tokyo though and there were lights that the thief still needed to stop for.

After weaving around what he could as the rain made it hard to see, Conan smiled when he looked up from his watch for what felt like the hundredth time. "We have three minutes. Stop and pull the car over so that we can get the professor."

Kid sighed but stopped the car. He didn't have to park like Akai did so he sat in the middle of the road while the few cars on the road honked and went around them. Akai and Hakase got out of the other car followed by Haibara. Conan sighed. He had said she hadn't had to come.

"Come on." Kid got out of the car and moved the seat forward so that the others could get on. While he was out he casually changed his clothes before taking the wig off and wiping his face. He must have had something in his shoes that made him look taller that he wasn't bothering with.

"Nice driving for your first time." Akai walked up to Kid, hand outstretched with a smile. "Let me show you how you're supposed to drive this car though."

Kid raised an eyebrow, holding onto the keys for a second before letting the FBI agent have them. "Fine, but we are in a hurry."

"I know." Akai got into the drivers seat and Kid went around, grinning at him.

"My lap or the back. Pick one because I'm not sitting with your friends."

Conan got in the back with Haibara, letting Kid put the seat back and take the front. He wanted to be in the font himself to watch out for anything. Backing off to the two of them though wouldn't make any difference. Kid and Akai both had sharp eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Conan asked Haibara. She turned from him and shrugged, closing her eyes a moment.

"Sitting at home while you get yourself killed wasn't the worst option but if you're gone and these creatures are running around after the rest of us, I'll be in danger. Keeping you alive then seems the best course of action."

"You know it's going to be dangerous," he said in a lower tone.

"I know. I'm not planning on fighting. You're protecting the professor. I'm sure I can make myself far less of a target than he can."

Conan had nothing to fight back with and the night quickly changed around him. He felt his body become tense as he faced forward, the professor looking nervous about being in the back seat of the car and as good as 'bait' as any other non-fighter in this time was.

"Ready?" Akai started the car. It came to life, lighting the area around them where the other cars stood with a bluish tint and motionless. "I may have to go off road if there's a traffic light, so don't panic." He shifted and took off, clearly a lot more used to manual cars.

Conan wasn't worried at all when they went up the sidewalk though Haibara and the professor both put on their belts. He watched out the window, seeing several shadow creatures watching them, black as tar in the light where everything else grew brighter. He wondered what they were made of. They clearly had blood and could be injured. Their bodies had to have some composition, even if their own reality couldn't reflect it.

He had to wonder if they had a way of telling the others where they were going as they streaked loudly through the silent hour around them. It wasn't long before they got to the tower, the lights that had been on nothing but a low bluish glow now.

Akai got out of the car, Kid doing so as well though looking like he wanted to be back in it and driving it around. He saw him eye Akai-san and the keys in his hand as the seat was moved forward and the rest of them got out as well.

"It's not your car."

Kid smiled and looked down at him, half wet with some of the rain droplets that had touched him. "Not yet but maybe he'll owe me one after this and let me test drive it some more."

Conan rolled his eyes and looked over at the tower, taking off. "Come on. We've already wasted ten minutes."

The professor got the elevator working so that they were able to get to the top floor. With the professor they didn't have to worry about any of the electrical doors staying closed.

Once at the top they met up with Hattori and Akako-san, both getting into the elevator with them.

"That was fast." Hattori looked down at him. "Ya know none of us are gonna get back ta where we were before the time an' we're gonna be really sick tonight after, right?"

"Don't you ever think? Kuroba-kun and I came from clear across town and neither of us was sick. I'm able to protect myself and he can do his own version of the same. I can easily extend it to the rest of you. Being violently ill in front of me is not something I'd appreciate."

"Ah… I guess I didn't think ta ask ya how ya did that."

"You don't think much at all, do you?"

Conan couldn't help snickering, hearing Kid join in for a second as well. Haibara only smiled but it was an acknowledging one.

"Hey!"

Conan backed up with a smile still as Hattori was in his face.

"Ya know that ain't true! Quit laughing!"

"I did."

"Ya know what I mean!"

Conan shrugged, the smile still there. "I didn't say it."

Hattori huffed and drew in on himself, away from the rest of us. He was sure he heard him mutter 'traitors' under his breath, but he couldn't be sure. It only made him smile more until the doors opened and they reached the bottom floor.

"Okay. I guess we should all be careful. Akako-san, how long will this finding thing take?"

"About five minutes or so. It would be better if it were some genetic material but I can work with the car."

Conan nodded. "For five minutes then we all have to be on the lookout. The first person to see anything, say something to the others."

"I'm going to be my own lookout." The doors were still open and Kid walked out them, flaring his spectral wings out as if they were natural. "The rest of you can just sit around. I'll see anything long before you will."

Kid had a point and Conan watched him take off. The area around the Tower was very open and what wasn't visible was easy enough to get a look at if he moved a bit. Conan felt more confident as they left. The rain outside was frozen like some weird Christmas decoration that coated all of Tokyo. It was freezing and it quickly got his clothes wet as he only went a few feet, dotting him up like a Dalmatian. Seeing the stilled raindrops hanging in the air was distracting but he couldn't help but wonder what the felt like and touched one of them, getting some liquid on his finger while leaving the harder part of the matter still hanging in the air. Akako went over to the car, putting some objects on the car that he was too short to see. A red circle started to form around both her and the vehicle.

"I'm not putting the circle up until all of you are outside this area."

They all moved, giving the witch the room she needed to do this spell. Conan still found it hard to believe and would have liked a closer look but it seemed he wasn't going to get one. Hattori was on the very edge of the circle, trying to watch what she was doing as well.

It just seemed like a bunch of gestures and words he couldn't really pick out. The circle glowed a brighter red and it looked like Akako did as well. Conan had only seen her do the shadow tendril thing and that weird globe. He had no idea how much more she could do.

She put her hand down on the car and he watched as something that looked like a flame wisp appeared near her eye level. It flickered like real flame and he watched it stay there, defying so many laws of nature that he couldn't look away.

"Okay." She turned, the fire hovering above her now upturned hand. "This will show us where he is. I couldn't make it less obvious, no," she spoke when Conan was about to. "It's red now and when we get within a hundred feet of him it will turn purple. Blue when we're within fifty and black when we're close, that way it shouldn't be as easy to notice. Is that good enough for you?"

Conan nodded. He was sure they wouldn't need it that long but having it black would at least keep it from being easy to see.

She nodded as well and smirked. "I can keep myself dry, by the way, so I'm keeping my clothes on. I'm a red Magi, which means I specialize in fire. It's easy to keep myself from getting cold or wet."

Conan blushed and took his shirt off. "It's not like we're actually getting naked." Besides, the rain was cold. If they wanted to keep any of their body heat, they couldn't be walking around in all their clothes anyway.

"The professor and I can stay here." Haibara pointed back to the tower. "Unless you want us along with you."

"I thought that was why you came." Conan had thought about leaving the professor here, but he'd be unguarded, since they'd all need to be there to fight off either Amuro or whatever Darklings were around him. "Besides, he needs to come with us."

"The elevator," she stated. "It has one access hatch and he can make it go to the top so that nothing can get on top of it. I'm sure they can't get through the reinforced doors. He should be fine there and it will free your hands up. If something happens, I can back him up here. Going out there as a handicap will get us killed."

"Then was what the point of all that?" Conan asked, eyes lidded.

Haibara smirked. "To show that I'm thinking far more than you are, detective. Get your head back on your shoulders." She turned, waving over her shoulder. "Have fun. You'd better come back alive."

"Of course I will." Conan took off his pants, tripping over his shoes before backing up a bit to lean against the building. After he was left in his swim trunks and his sock and shoes. It would be better than nothing and better than shorts or a noisy raincoat.

Hattori had swim trunks of his own that he'd gone out and bought and Kid had gotten his own at some point, though he seemed more than happy to be soaked as he landed, grinning.

"Hey, at least we know it probably affects those creatures too. That was freezing on these, and I have no nerves." Kid flicked one of his wings at him and what water was on him was no longer as stagnant and Conan had to wipe it off himself.

"That's one thing to be thankful for. Change."

"Already on it." Kid took off his very wet shirt and threw it towards the tower entrance. "I thought you were really going to make us go naked for a while."

"That would have been stupid. It's hard to fight naked." Conan was sure that fur would hold just as much water as his skin would, so he didn't feel like changing. Akai had simply vanished, though Conan knew he was still there. Even not being a dog, he was sure he could pinpoint each of them by sound.

"This would have been easier if we were taking the car. We don't now how far your friend is." Akako looked at the flame, the red color saying Amuro was nowhere nearby. "Teleporting isn't something I learned, as it's always been unnecessary and painful. Flying, however, I can do. Kuroba-kun, how much can you carry?"

"Ah…" Kid looked like he was thinking about it. "Maybe… maybe Hattori if I really had to push it, but only him and I might get tired. I've only ever flown with the kid."

"Take him then. That's two less that I'll have to worry about." She looked around them. "Hattori-kun and Akai-san, you're going to need something to hold you up in the air. Anything will do as long as you can hold it, sit on it, and tilt it. I prefer brooms but I know most males do not."

Hattori winced at the idea. "No thanks. Ah… brooms?"

"Yes. They're easier to handle because of how easy it is to shift them. There should be some inside."

"It's gonna be like… Halloween witch flyin' on a broom stick?"

Akako was in his face in seconds, his eyes dark and the fire next to Hattori's face. "What are you comparing me to?"

"Ah, never mind. Nothin'." Hattori put his hands up and out to the side so he didn't touch her. "Ferget it."

She nodded and turned inside, her footsteps fast and angry. Conan hadn't noticed he'd tensed up when she'd become aggressive and he let himself relax again.

"Broomsticks?" he asked, turning to Kid.

Kid smiled and nodded. "She's the real thing, but let's not bring up stuff like 'Halloween'. It seems she doesn't like it."

Conan nodded. The others were going to ride broomsticks… like in those cartoons. He didn't know how that was going to work or feel but he would have been tempted to try it as well, if not for the equally vivid image about how uncomfortable it would be.

Akako came out some time later, handed out what were actually broomsticks, though two of them had different ends so that they could pick up more dirt. She had to hold the second one for a while before Akai took it.

"I suppose I should teach you how to use them. They're already enchanted and running off my magic. That's all I can do as far as influencing them. If you crash them on your own and die, well that's your fault."

Hattori swallowed, waiting for Akako to do something first. Conan was watching too, even as Kid took his wings out. The thief didn't grab him and take off so he had to assume that he'd never seen her do this close up.

"It's not like a lever, for one. Pulling up on it would be very hard when all your weight's on it. It's mental. I say that but in reality it's a type of energy your spirit gives off. Since that's too much for you to handle, just mentally picturing it moving up or down should be enough. Being a stick, it makes it easier. Anything flat and you'd need training. Well," the witch shrugged with a smile before getting on it the way Conan had pictured she would. "That's it."

And then she was flying up as if the wind had suddenly taken her.

"Cool."

"Want ta trade?" Hattori asked, looking back down at the broom and offering it to him.

Conan had to smile, letting Kid pick him up. "No thanks."


	14. Best Laid Plans

AN: Thanks goes to TiLiYu for betaing this story now!  
It's probably going to be a few more chapters than I was planning on. My stories write themselves and this one decided it didn't want to end.

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Best Laid Plans**

Conan, Kid, Akako, and an empty broom he was sure was Akai, waited while Hattori tried to get the courage to get in the air as well. Kid had to beat his wings to stay airborne but he'd swiped away most of the raindrops already so he was sure it wasn't bothering the thief much.

"Come on!" he shouted downward. "It shouldn't be that hard!"

"Shut up an' switch wit' me if ya think that!"

Conan shut up, letting the Osakan take a bit more time. He would switch if he kept him much longer, though he was sure Kid wouldn't be as well off as he was now.

Hattori would get a few feet off the ground and then land back where he had been. It was like watching a hot air balloon that didn't have enough flame. He was about to just get Kid to put him down and to switch to see if he'd have any better luck when the broom on his left went back down to earth, landing next to Hattori and making him jump.

Conan wasn't sure if Akai was telling him something, the other two talking too quietly with one another. After a minute of discussion, Hattori moved the broomstick so he was sitting on the wide end instead of the middle of it. Hattori closed his eyes and then must have gotten yelled at for it by the way he jumped.

While it had cut a good ten and more minutes into their time, the dark skinned detective was soon up in the air with them, his hands tight on the broom and looking like he was going to be sick.

"Harder than it looks. Sorry 'bout that."

"Come on then-"

"Wait. Jeez, I almost forgot them. Here, hold the kid." Kid went next to Hattori, making sure his wingtips didn't graze the broom, and slipped him in-between the Osakan's hands.

"Woah, hey! Wait!" Hattori weaved dangerously and Conan had to hold onto his arm to keep himself from falling more than twenty feet to the ground. They went back and forth for a while as if caught in a colliding air stream before Hattori had the broom steady once more, both their hearts racing as they found themselves a good thirty feet from the others.

"Ahou." Hattori had to look at the broom for a while before it started to move towards the others. He only kept one hand on the handle while the other held him close to his chest.

"I'm fine. I can hold on."

"Yeah, but I don't trust myself with this thing yet. Don't wanna lose ya because we suddenly jerk ta the side." Hattori smirked down at him. "Yer a kid right now, after all. It'd be hard ta catch ya if ya fell."

"Nice maneuvering there. Avoiding invisible creatures?" Kid asked with a smirk, his one arm full. He leaned over once Hattori got close and Conan didn't miss the new addition of glasses. Kid donned a pair himself before handing one over to Akai. The glasses seemed to vanish the second he put them on.

"I didn't think about that. Your limitations haven't been my concern." Akako shook her head. "That was good thinking on your part, I'll give you that."

"Huh? Why? What're these fer?" Hattori shifted his own, afraid to take them off and to have no hands on the broom to examine them.

"The rain, duh. What do you think happens when we're getting hit with half frozen water droplets? I'll tell you now, it hurts like hell." Kid's grin grew wider as he touched the frames. "Thus, glasses."

"Tah." Hattori made sure they were sitting on his face well before going back to hold him. "Here, take 'im back. I still ain't sure I got this down yet."

Kid went over and reclaimed him. It was only now that he was thinking about it that he realized the thief didn't have his wounds anymore. He must have healed them some time during the day he wasn't with him or earlier that night.

"Akako-san, lead the way. I'm going to stay in the back. White wings aren't exactly the easiest thing to hide."

"Not like you've ever tried to hide those before," she spoke to the thief with a smile. "Alright then. If the rest of you can't keep up, we're not slowing down wait for you until we get close. I'm sure Kuroba-kun being behind you will give you _some_ incentive to keep up."

Conan was sure it would. If the thief weren't currently holding him, he would surely be certain that he stayed ahead of him.

The others took off fast, too fast for the thief to keep up when he was weighted down with water. It was why Conan had known it was better to lose their clothes than to waste dignity getting everyone killed. The thief couldn't do much about his wings though and Conan found himself perched too close to live wires once more as Kid stopped to take a breather. The others were ahead of them but not by much.

"You know, we could have all been on brooms if it was this easy."

"It's not. Akako-san's using her own energy to do it. Wasting more when I have wings would be stupid. I'm really going to need her help tonight. Your friend likes to fight back." Kid shifted his shoulders as if he were sore. "And magic is a lot more draining than she lets on, unless mine and hers are all that different."

"You didn't even know you could use magic until recently, right? Maybe that has something to do with it." Conan noticed there was some fatigue around the other teen's features that he hadn't seen before. It was possible that he'd either not been feeling it earlier or this hour bothered him more than he was letting on. "Are you okay?"

"No, honestly. I went from a novice to almost overusing my powers last night. It might happen again tonight. While I really don't want to die, I don't think I can hold myself back if I can save your friend, or if any of you get injured. Watch my back for me?"

They were practically strangers to one another. This whole time the witch had been the one watching over Kid. Conan wasn't too sure what signs to look for when he was pushing himself, and he wasn't sure if he would stop the thief if it came between him overusing his powers to save Hattori or one of the others. If he did, there was always the chance he would be able to recover. Anyone he was saving would not. "I'll do what I can." He wouldn't let someone die, even the thief, and Kid had to know he'd try. Why he was even asking, he wasn't sure. "You know me by now, even if I don't know you as well."

Kid smiled, beating his wings and taking off again after the minute or so they'd been on the post. "I know. I just wanted to say that. I'm not sure how much Akako-san can do if she's helping me. I'm kind of surprised at how far she's gone already. She's not usually this nice, though I suppose it could be because she doesn't want me to die."

There was a look there, something that led Conan to believe that maybe the two of them were more than just classmates. That made no sense with the way the thief had been treating her so far though, and with how she'd been treating him in return. That was no act.

He really wanted to know the story behind the two of them. For now, it could wait. He was cold and Kid couldn't block all of the drops that were hitting him slightly too hard at these speeds. They may have small bruises by the time they arrive at wherever the teen witch was leading them.

It seemed that answer was a house, and a pretty well off one at that. It was at least three floors all on its own, the neighboring houses around it never getting more than a story off the ground. If there were lights on in the house, Conan couldn't tell. He didn't get much of a look at it when the three in front of them fell low and Kid followed their lead.

" _Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!"_ he could hear Hattori's grumbling beside him as they landed, having discarded the broom off to the side. He knew he'd be picking it up, as it was likely going to be the Osakan's main weapon. " _That freakin' hurt!"_

" _Shut up."_ Akako spoke, harsh and quiet. The flame in front of her had changed color. " _Your friend is somewhere in this yard. The flame would have gone out if he'd lost himself to the Darkling so he's alive, though I can't say for how long. I've never seen someone be overcome instead of tainted. The human mind simply can not stand up well to these beings or their power."_

She looked down and over at him as Kid set him down, continuing. " _I'm sure the behavior of some shows that enough, and that was having as little an influence as possible. Cleaning him will he hard. Our best bet is to do this over a period of two nights. I'll restrain him if I can and, Kuroba-kun, cleanse him as best you can. It should make him human enough that he remains in our time instead of theirs. We won't have to figure out where he's gone if I can keep my hold and then you can recover enough power tomorrow to finish it off. Do_ not _try and expel the Darkling all at once. You're not strong enough."_ Akako's eyes had moved to Kid and Conan watched him as well as the thief nodded. " _You're the most silent of us so hide your wings and go take a look around."_

Kid did as she said, his wings vanishing. Without the white clothes, his lighter skin stood out against the blue instead. It would have been better if he could wear something gray but none of them had brought extra clothes with them. Conan watched as the thief went off around the trees and over to the yard.

" _I suppose all we do is either help you or stop any Darklings from attacking Kid while he's working. We have a problem there though. This isn't the hotel. There is no way we can keep up any kind of barrier with so much open space."_

" _I know. I was going to put up one of my own. It will take power to hold up while I'm trying to hold back the man. I don't think I can keep up both but I have no choice in the matter. If it comes down to it, I'll protect the barrier. You three will have to hold him down for me, by any means. Give him even an inch and you're all dead. Do you understand?_ " Akako's crimson eyes were back on him.

Conan nodded, having seen what he'd done to Hattori the other night. Amuro would be stronger than them, quicker. They'd have to hold on and not to let go. Akai hadn't made himself visible so he didn't expect any response from him, guessing he went along with Kid to check the place out.

" _Not ta be mean but what if the three 'a us aren't good enough? I mean… when he grabbed me the other day it was like fightin' a pro wrestler. 'e didn't even break a sweat."_

" _Then we go with plan B. I let the barrier down and attack him to stop him instead of restrain. I might very well end up killing him but it would be better than losing his mind. If you have any disagreements with this, restrain him. I'm not about to let him kill anyone and, if he gets away from all of us, I will move to attack."_

Conan didn't like that at all. He didn't want Amuro to die and he especially didn't want this teenager to kill him. While her words were steadfast, there was a shake to her hands. He was sure she'd never done anything like this before and it scared her as much as it was scaring him. He'd just have stop her himself. She'd be easier to distract than Amuro. If the man attacked them like last night though…. He didn't know what would happen.

They sat there in the quiet, mentally counting time. He wished there was some way a watch would work in this hour. Time now meant a lot and he was sure they'd spent more than half of it getting here.

Kid came back a little more than five minutes later, his skin red and his hair soaked. " _He's in the back. It kind of looks like he's hurting himself but I couldn't really tell. I didn't see any other around, but I've been hearing noises."_

" _Ah_ ," Akako spoke quietly, as if something were just dawning on her. "It's weakening his body so that it can take over. How badly was he hurt?"

Kid shrugged. " _I couldn't get that close."_

Akako nodded. " _Heal him while you're cleansing. It will help him regain some of his consciousness. Don't heal him too much though. We don't want that thing to lose control and not be injured when we try and take it on. This is going to be very risky and put us in more danger than I was planning on."_

" _Don't worry about it. I trust you_." Kid winked at her. " _Not like I can do any of this fighting. Let's get going. The best bet is to sneak up to the house from this side and then rush him from the back. There's a wall otherwise and we won't be able to surprise him."_

" _You'd trust a lion not to eat a deer if it promised you it wouldn't_." Akako fixed her clothes though, turning and walking a path into the rain without getting a drop on her. She stopped for a moment while they all started to follow her.

When she didn't start off again Kid spoke. "Hey, is-"

" _Shh!"_ She held her hand up and they all waited. It only took her a few dozen seconds more as she seemed to hold something to herself before starting off again. " _No more talking from here on unless it's an emergency. Kuroba-kun and I will go first. I'll restrain him while I put up the barrier. The rest of you get ready to hold him down if I need to shift focus."_

Conan and Hattori nodded to one another, though she couldn't see it. Conan wasn't really sure what had just happened there but he had a feeling that breaking her 'no talking' rule wouldn't help him get the answers.

He shifted into a dog as they went on, the water brushing against and on top of his fur, though he was a lot warmer now as well as wetter. The others sounded loud comparatively to his new hearing. He could even catch Akai's footsteps behind him in the grass, even though he couldn't see him.

The house may have been expensive but nothing showed very well in the off-blue of this time. They went up to it and slowly crept around to the other side, as ordered. Kid and Akako stopped first, shared a nod, and the thief stepped hard into the grass, taking off around the back of the building, the witch following him.

Conan stuck his head around, knowing that he should wait before doing anything. Their presence might distract Amuro but it may equally distract the other two and he wanted to watch to be sure nothing got inside the area Akako would be using for a barrier.

The blond, or what he could see of the blond headed man, hadn't been expecting them. He was sitting against the back of the wall and looking down, white glowing eyes shooting up in his direction while the other two raced toward him.

Before the man could stand, Akako stopped hard, her hands going up as she spoke something too soft to reach his hearing. The black tendrils from before sprang up, this time laced with red along their edges. They grabbed the man's legs, arms, and held his chest to the building, making him scream.

It sounded like pain instead of simply anger, like he had sounded before.

"I'm sorry. It's only meant to hurt the Darkling but they're too far intertwined. You're going to have to heal him enough that they're more separate. There's no other way I can restrain him."

Kid looked angry but Conan couldn't see much of his eyes as he turned and fell to his knees besides Amuro. His hands glowed lightly, as they had before, and he placed them on what part of his arm remained exposed. Again, the blond screamed, the black smoke around his form trying to lash out as if it had physical shape.

"That wasn't too quiet." Hattori held his broom, his eyes darting around. "No way we ain't gettin' company."

"I need at least two or three minutes. I'll warn you ten seconds before I have it up. Anything within thirty feet of here will be stuck. If you're outside at that time, too bad."

Conan could understand that. She didn't have much concentration to spare and she was doing far more than the rest of them were. Amuro, or whatever he was at the moment, continued to scream. Conan had to fold his ears back, the sound as painful as the words of the Darklings were. While it didn't inspire the same terror, the pain in it was almost tangible, and he could feel it as if it were his own.

The time seemed to go by slow. It couldn't actually be moving anyway, since they seemed to be in some pocket time, but it was still real in its own way and dragging on. Both he and Hattori waited, armed with teeth and a stick, to make sure that no other Darklings got involved.

It was almost a relief when he heard an 'okay' from Akako and watched as a barrier came up, just as solid looking as the one she had created in the hotel.

Conan turned his attention from his surroundings over to the others now, taking a few quick steps so he was within jumping range of them.

Kid didn't look so well. His face was strained and he seemed to be panting through his teeth, the rise and fall of his chest obvious without a shirt on. He couldn't tell if it was rain or sweat that rained down the thief's lean body but his nose told him it was likely the later.

"What's wrong?" Conan asked, trying not to get in Kid's way but making sure that the thief could get away this time if he and Hattori had to jump in and hold Amuro.

"Nothing, it's just very hard and he's still very new at this. Leave him be." Akako shifted her stance, one hand still held in Amuro's direction while the man did all he could to get out of the strands, attacking it with the black shadow around him only for the smoke to dissipate, revealing more of the person beneath the blackness.

" _How much time?_ " Kid asked under his breath. Conan was pretty sure he was the only one that could hear him.

"We have ten to fifteen minutes until this time ends, I think." It was very hard to keep track with everything that had happened.

" _I can't do it._ " Kid's hands shook, his whole body trembling afterwards. " _It's too long. I either keep going or I have to stop."_ The thief looked over at Akako. " _Can I really not expel it now? Wasn't that the plan before?"_

"You're much weaker now. Don't be an idiot!"

Kid trembled again. " _I can't keep this up either though. I can feel it. I'm good holding it where it is now, but I can't keep it up. It can tell. I can kind of… hear it in my head. I can do it for five minutes, maybe._ " Conan saw the thief meet his own, canine eyes. " _I'm sorry._ "

"You've given him a chance. If he can fight it off for the next five minutes, long enough to keep him in our world, that will be good enough. Do _not_ push yourself. If you need to stop now, stop."

Kid shook his head, looking forward again, his eyes going to his hands as the light became brighter for a moment. " _I can handle those five minutes."_

Conan wasn't sure what he could do. It seemed they wouldn't be needed unless something really big showed up on the other side of the barrier. If it did, there'd be no 'restraining' that they could do. Kid would be too warn out to try and help Amuro-san take control again and it would be them fighting him as they had before, and, as they had before, he was sure they would lose.

"'kay, new plan." Hattori tapped Kid lightly on the head, making the thief look up at him. "We stop now, the witch there holds 'im so 'e's not on the buildin', an' ya take him up in the air. That should make sure that nothin' will attack ya. The rest 'a us will go back. Those brooms still work, right? We'll get up there with ya an' hope that nothin' tries ta get us from the air." Hattori turned towards Akako. "How's that sound?"

" _Fly with him?"_ Kid looked like Hattori had just told him to eat glass. " _I suppose I can try. I'm close to passing out though."_

"I know, an' if ya keep this up, ya will fer sure. Flyin' ain't as hard on ya, not even close. We kin help ya once we're up too."

"It will make sure that I don't have to focus on the barrier then." Akako thought it over. "Kuroba-kun, I'm sure you're going to tell me that you can do it, even if you can't. The rest of you will have to be fast. I can't see what's on the other side of the barrier any easier than you can and there's only one broom here. You help Kuroba-kun once he's stable and in the air. The broom will hold, but you need to keep focus this time and make sure extra weight put on the front won't make you change direction."

"I thought ya'd be takin' this one." Hattori handed it over. "Yer better at the balance thing an' it ain't like I can't punch anything that comes after me as well as smack it. We're gonna be runnin' anyway, not fightin."

Akako took the broom with a nod. "That will make things easier. I won't be able to help you after this. The magic in the broom will last until I die and I'll be focused on keeping him restrained. In close quarters and without Kuroba-kun to distract the Darkling, it will be fighting back too hard for me to split my focus."

"Don't worry 'bout us, right?" Hattori winked down at him. Conan smiled right back. Akai was somewhere behind them and he heard him take a stop towards the edge of the barrier, the closest area to the side of the house.

"Let's go."

"Good luck." Hattori saluted them before they turned and stood beside the edge of the barrier. Conan watched behind them as Akako moved the bonds, attaching Amuro's wrists and ankles together and then another that lightly wrapped around Kid as he got behind the man, likely there to make sure Kid didn't accidentally drop him if he struggled. The thief let out a breath, the light from his hands fading and shifting as it, instead, formed his wings, beating them to get him as high into the air as fast as they could.

The barrier fell and Conan ran, no longer looking back. If this was successful, things would be easier tomorrow night. If it wasn't, Kid was likely the only one that would get hurt and he could make sure that the thief took care of himself and they simply tried this again another night. He hoped it didn't come to that, the rain hitting him as he ran and his paws getting muddy. He wasn't sure how long any of them could keep this up.

Conan shifted focus, getting his body back. Kid wasn't here anymore to carry him so he'd be riding with Hattori again. He couldn't very well hold on as a dog. He had to pause, letting his body shift. He wasn't good at changing while running. It was too hard to focus.

Something hit him from the side, hard. He felt himself lose his breath, smacking solidly into the house and losing a good amount of his senses on impact.

It hurt. There were teeth at his throat. Conan put his hands up, no longer paws, and tried to get the thing to let him go. He had no fur to protect him now and he felt his blood run over his exposed skin.

"Kudo!"

Conan couldn't answer him, hoping that his friend could get this thing off of him. The teeth bit down harder and he had to gag, tasting his own blood in his mouth. He could do nothing in this time, in this body, and felt himself change again.

As a dog, he kicked out, feeling the creature keep hold of him as he tried to push it away, digging into it with his back claws. Dogs weren't meant to claw. It didn't feel very effective. He could feel liquid falling down on him though, likely blood, where he was gouging out marks in his attacker. His fur gave him slightly more amour as the thing shifted its hold but its teeth had already been there, already made their marks, and Conan felt himself yelp as they drew into his skin more.

The world was starting to go black, filled with pain and gagging as he choked on his own blood. He knew Hattori couldn't do much aside from maybe distract the thing long enough for him to get free. That wasn't happening though. The teeth never moved from where they were strangling him. Akai… well, he didn't know what the man could possibly do but it didn't seem he was having any effect either.

There was a loud bang, hurting his ears. The sound traveled where wind and time did not, echoing around the still air.

The creature let him go and Conan fell to the ground, coughing and spitting up blood, more of it dripping down since a dog wasn't very good at coughing. He turned to see the creature that was on him, some type of wolf on steroids, stumble over to the side. It was dripping black blood all down its front, likely its own.

Conan felt the sticky blood on himself as he stood unsteadily, his eyes watching for any signs of a renewed attack. The Darkling only stumbled away a few feet before collapsing, no rising and falling of its body to show it had any life left. Conan wasn't sure how Darklings worked but he was pretty certain they needed to breath. That meant that it was dead.

He didn't miss Akai standing before him, dark pants and a gun holster at his waist, holding a firearm.

"How'd you do that?" Conan winced. Speaking hurting, but he knew that it wasn't possible to use a gun in this time. Sure, a revolver like the one Akai was currently holding would probably mostly work, but there was no way it would spark.

"I had the fire witch help me before this started. She said she could protect the flint." Akai smiled. "I suppose it worked. I had been planning to use it only if things got out of hand. Are you okay?"

Conan closed one eye, stepping off to the side a bit as he tried to keep himself on his feet. No, he didn't feel very okay. "I'll make it until the hour ends at least. I'm sure Kid has a _little_ left in him that I won't die."

"Ya better not." Hattori was at his side, not sure how to help a dog, placing his hands on his shoulders and drawing them back. "Ew, what's on ya?"

"My blood or its. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." Conan wasn't about to shake and fall over, though he was going to take a bath, whether he could see the stuff in the normal time or not.

"You stupid idiot!"

Conan jumped away slower than the other two, startled by the words as much as the white as Kid jumped down beside him, falling to his knees. He reached out a hand, about to touch him…

And then the world was gone.

Conan blinked, looking around. The buildings were there but they were like a ghostly image of themselves. Instead of cement, shadowy grass poked its way out of the ground, the landscape around him turning from a nice quiet neighborhood to something that more resembled a safari. There was no more blue ambient light, the scenery around him draped in black shadows and hard to make out, as if it were night and there was no moon present.

What in the world happened?


	15. Dark One, Light One

**AN:** Third person has to shift for a while for obvious reasons. It may do so for the next chapters as well. The third person will follow whoever is being mentioned by their first name.

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Dark One, Light One**

Kaito grabbed nothing but air as he reached out, trying not to land on the guy because he was too out of it. He should have just crashed into him and dealt with the consequences after.

"Damn it." He brought his hand to himself, empty. Tantei-kun was gone.

"Wh…. What happened?" Hattori was standing over him, looking at the empty space where his friend had just been. "Where'd 'e go?"

"I don't know." Kaito stood, looking around, his eyes both tired and angry. "But if I had to guess, he was pulled into the other time. I was trying to get him before he went crazy. I didn't think he'd just… poof!" Stomping around in the damp grass while the rain fell around him, soaking him where he wasn't already wet, Kaito tried to think. He looked up, shielding his eyes and trying to find Akako through the newly in-motion rainfall.

The witch landed with the blond man they'd all been trying to save, just as unconscious as he had been before. He fell more than was removed from the broomstick. Kaito winced, knowing it couldn't have been comfortable. He'd had to move though.

"What happened?" Akako's eyes were only on his. They had been for a long time now. Kaito wanted nothing more than to close his own and go to sleep, even sopping wet.

"That's my line. I saw Conan-kun down here and he was just all black. I mean like…" Kaito waved his hand a bit so she'd understand. "More than just his fur was black. I tried to grab him, you know what with how weird the taint had made him before, and now he's just…" Kaito waved his hand again, having no better word for the young detective's sudden disappearance than he had for explaining how black looked blacker than it already was.

Akako took in and let out a breath. "He was all black?"

Kaito didn't think he'd had to answer her again but he nodded.

"Well… I've never heard of something like that happening. Usually when we're tainted, humans or Magi or any other mortal being, it mixes their blood with ours and it changes the way we act and think subtly. If you get exposed too much, you lose a bit of yourself. To be completely tainted… I don't know. It shouldn't be any different than a partial taint. He should still be here, even if not completely normal."

"So… what do you think happened?" Kaito couldn't understand it either. He couldn't understand a lot of this, and he'd been exposed to magic before.

Akako shook her head. "I don't know. The only way mortals can be taken over into that other time is to lose ourselves to the possession of a Darkling. It's happened before and we've been witnessing the possession. Did something possess him?" Akako turned from him and to the other two, Kaito's gaze going along as well. He'd only see darkness all of a sudden, Tantei-kun's black fur hid it almost too well, when he had looked down to check on them.

"He was attacked," the older man in black spoke up. Kaito had little idea about his character and had never interacted with him. Without the detective as a buffer, he wasn't sure how to treat him. "He looked like he was hurt pretty bad but in the last few days I've seen worse. I shot the Darkling that was on him when Hattori-kun here couldn't get it off of him." Akai nodded towards the dark-skinned detective. "It let him go and stumbled away. It looked like it died, not like it possessed him."

"Hm." Akako seemed to be thinking. She was his best bet to figuring any of this out so he remained quiet while the rain continued to fall on him, making him shiver. It wasn't all that cold out but it wasn't summer either. He wanted to be in somewhere, warm and dry. He felt his eyes close, his feet deciding they were too tired to hold him up.

He should have fallen, maybe hit his head against the building he was too close to. Instead there was a warm arm that had slipped under his own, holding him up. Kaito was too weak to argue about being grabbed. He was getting less and less sensitive about being known about and touched by the detectives here, and it couldn't be anyone other than Hattori who had grabbed him. Akako was too far away and wearing clothes, and the man was too tall to have gotten under him and not forced him to his tiptoes.

" _Hey, you okay?_ "

Kaito wanted to nod but he sneezed instead, resting against Hattori. He had no idea how the guy kept himself so warm in the cold rain shower.

"We should get going. We'll figure everything out somewhere safe. Kuroba-kun looks like he'd take a nap in the grass and he should know that after all of this he can't fall asleep. I'm not ready to deal with a vanishing child and a comatose magician."

It had been hard, harder than he had thought, to try and help Bourbon – or whatever the man's name really was. If not for the other guy holding him, he had a feeling he would have pushed himself over the edge until time ran out. He would never have been able to get rid of the Darkling and likely he wouldn't have woken up after that.

"I'm good." Kaito tried to get off Hattori but it was just too hard. His feet didn't want to hold him and his whole body felt sore, even though he hadn't gotten hurt this time. Magic really sucked.

"Ain't like I kin carry ya so ya better not fall asleep. Akai-san's gotta carry Amuro-san so I'm pretty sure ya'd get left behind."

Kaito's lip twitched and he straightened his legs, opening his eyes more as he stood on his own, pulling away from Hattori. "Yeah, yeah. Lets get out of here before the owner of this place finds us."

He felt himself sway as he took a few steps. There was no way he was getting far but removing himself from the yard where he could get picked up by the cops was easy enough. Incentive played a large part in putting one foot in front of the other.

That lasted until he got to the end of sidewalk, his body giving up on him completely. He wasn't even sure if someone caught him this time, the world going black before it had a chance to tilt in every angle it could.

….

"Wake up!"

Kaito had to wince, his eyes opening long enough to tell him there was a light somewhere off to his left that was blinding after the black of unconsciousness. His hand went up to his face, feeling the sensitive skin there. "Ow, jeez!" That freaking hurt. Getting slapped awake was one thing but Hattori didn't have to hit so hard.

"Sorry, ya weren't wakin' up." Kaito felt a hand withdraw from his shoulder, Hattori having blocked most of his vision from inside the… car he was now in, apparently laying down in the back seat. He could feel one of the buckles stabbing him in the back uncomfortably.

"And I want to go back to sleep." Kaito put a hand over his eyes, shielding the light. He saw Akako turn towards his voice from the front seat but he missed her expression before his eyes closed.

"You haven't slept in the past two days. I know it's hard but you need to regain your magical powers before you worry about the physical needs. I only realized how hard you were pushing yourself with how terrible that healing of yours was just now."

"Mmm." Kaito didn't think it was that bad. He didn't get his chest cut open like lunchmeat this time. "We did it though."

"And you'll need to finish the rest off tonight. There is no waiting in this man's case. The fact that he's stayed conscious of his own being this long is a miracle. Can you honestly say you can take on that Darkling in him in less than twenty-four hours?"

Kaito took in and let out a breath from his nose, his world nothing but blackness and weariness. He wanted so badly to sleep. "I don't know."

"That's as good as a 'no', coming from you. We have to come up with a better plan. You're the only healer that I know of, and I've been to a lot of places. There is no other around here that my magic doesn't work on. As far as a backup for you is concerned, there is none. What we're going to have to do, and I know you won't like this idea, is to attack the man himself to the point of death. It will weaken both him and the Darkling greatly but that will be enough for you to get rid of it, then use any remaining magic to make him stable. Do _not_ try to heal him fully in your condition."

"Mmm," Kaito mumbled again. She was right, he didn't like that idea. That, and the little guy was still missing as far as he was aware. They'd really have to worry about him later because this Darkling possession had to be taken care of first. That was one less fighter, meaning they'd be relying on bullets. He really, _really_ didn't like that. A bullet could easily kill without meaning to. "And plan B?"

"No plan B. I'm going to weaken the Darkling as much as I can, the man here will weaken his body. We'll deal with him as soon as we can and hope you have enough energy that we can look for the boy right after. I have some worries about that though…"

Akako stopped speaking and Kaito wasn't up to removing his arm. He let his mind slowly drift, not caring if he needed to heal magic force or whatever first. She was wrong. He hadn't slept in _three_ days, what with the heist and all this weird stuff coming up – passed up now, today was going to be the forth.

"Hey," Hattori spoke somewhat quietly to try to be waking him, a warm hand on his arm as it shook him. "Stay awake."

"I can't." And Kaito couldn't. He was hungry, that was for sure, but even that wasn't enough to keep his eyelids open. "Please, just give me an hour or two. There's nothing we can do until midnight again. I really need the sleep."

He heard a sigh, Akako shifting in the front seat. He didn't hear the car moving and he couldn't see if anyone was in the driver's seat. This was definitely that white car that he'd stolen earlier though. "I suppose. If you don't wake up, know that I will chase you to the end of whatever boundary of consciousness you're at and drag you back here."

"I'll wake up." He knew it was just from being actually tired and not overusing his magic. At least… it was more the former than the later. "Night."

…

Stuffing another burger into his mouth, Kaito wolfed down all the food that they'd gotten while he was out of it. He'd had to go out of his way and ask for more, getting a raised eyebrow and a few looks from a lot of those in the room with him at how much he was putting away. To be fair, even Kaito was surprised at his own appetite.

"You're making up for lost energy," Akako explained when he was eating a third burger and had taken some of left over curry he was offered. "Without your shirt on, I can actually see that you've been losing weight. I don't think that's good for you. You don't have much fat on you to begin with."

Kaito didn't bother blocking his stomach. He hadn't had a chance to get his shirt back on before he'd smelled the food and gone after it. He didn't even care that they were at the professor's house, a place he'd never willingly walked into when anyone was home. He half wondered why they hadn't gone over to the little detective's actual residence. There were more rooms there.

"Mmm." This time it wasn't weariness but the fact that his mouth was full that stopped him from speaking. The professor, the little girl, the man with the gun, Hattori, Akako, and the unconscious blond he could see in the bed next to the one he was in– with him as the exception - were all standing around watching him. He was sure some of them hadn't seen him in almost nothing, literally, before, and were ogling. The others were just being perverse.

"What about Conan-kun? Ya were sayin' somethin' like it'd be hard 'er somethin'. Ya kinda stopped before finishin'."

"Ah, well." Akako leaned against a nearby wall, placing herself behind him so it was hard for him to look at her and the group at the same time, though it gave her a perfect view of everyone. "There's a difference. This man," she spoke as she tilted her head towards Bourbon. "Wasn't possessed, at least not completely. That means his body is still in our reality and the Darkling could not act. It's as he is now. Unless he became fully possessed he would never leave our time. Conan-kun has. That means that, for some reason, he's being treated as one of them. Their reality and ours are very different. I was able to track this man down because he was here, he had ties to this world. Even with a possession of the boy's, there is no way I'd be able to find him on my own. He'd have to be the one to track us down. Hopefully removing the taint will remove him from that world. I can't promise that he'll be sane enough to seek us out though."

Kaito had to blink his eyes a few times. Wait, they could have just lost him? Completely? With no way of getting him back? "But we don't know that."

"No, we don't know anything. This has never happened before. Anything is possible."

"Damn it! Why didn' ya tell us this could happen?!"

"I didn't know it _could_ happen and you knew the danger! This isn't my fight!"

"Hush." Kaito raised a hand, trying to play peacemaker. He wasn't about to get in the middle of anything when he was still trying to regain his strength. "There's nothing we can do about it now. We'll make sure we get the Darkling first. Just make sure not to shoot him in the heart or something while I'm trying to cleanse him and split my focus. He has to be alive for me to do my thing. We'll have lots of time after to find the little guy. He's smart. If he has even the smallest part of himself left, he'll find us. We'll go back to that person's house tonight though, just to see if he's there." Kaito looked up at the professor. "You can drive me back. If he's not there, we'll come back here. Sound good to you?"

The old man looked unsure, sharing a look with the girl before meeting his eyes and nodding. "Sure, I can do that."

Kaito let out a breath, grabbing the spoon _and_ bowl now that his hand was free of the burger and eating the curry.

"Gettin' energy back 'er not, ya can't digest that fast. Slow down. I ain't helpin' ya if ya choke."

Kaito didn't stop but he did slow down. Hattori had a point. No matter how hungry he still felt, there was only so much room in his stomach. He liked eating instead of trying to fill the awkward silence though.

He was really starting to miss having the little guy there to make it feel bearable.

"Since he has the only other bed, I'm going to go take a nap. I'll be back." The guy with the dark clothes walked away from them, either uneasy with the situation or truly tired as well. It wasn't as if Kaito could blame him. None of them had been getting much sleep.

"Sittin' 'round here doin' nothin' sucks." Hattori sat on the bed, next to him. Kaito looked him over real quick, seeing that he hadn't been hurt. He could focus very little on anything that went on last night.

"Yeah, but what's there to do?" He finished the bowl of curry off, feeling like he could eat more though his stomach told him it was full. He laid it down, not up to getting up yet. "I still need rest after a bunch of not rest." He yawned. "Not sure how that's going to work. I still don't like the plan for tonight."

"Do you have a better one?" Akako raised and eyebrow.

"No, if I did I would have said something. Honestly… this sucks. There's too few of us. If Hattori-kun and tall-and-broody are helping us, there's no one to watch out for an attack. I'm sure we won't be faced with anything _immediately,_ but our small group can't really fight well."

"That I know. I'd need someone with a lot of power rivaling my own though to keep up a barrier. They'd have to have the innate ability to do so. Most of the time any powers that manifest do so either because of bloodline or natural born talent. I'm sure even before the taint you had some premonition sense, did you not Hattori-san?"

Hattori nodded. "I think so. I've been tainted so long now though I can't be sure."

"And we know that you've had an innate ability to resist magic." Akako shared a look with him and Kaito nodded as well.

"I never knew it was because I had magic from another time though."

"You don't." Her eyes narrowed just a bit. "Is that where you think it comes from? No, magic is in most mortals, though its form shifts. The other reality simply allows us access to it far more easily. It's why we all have some of our abilities in our own reality after we've awakened them."

"Huh." Kaito pointed to himself. "How does that work for me?"

"You still can resist magic, as I just said. I'm sure it also gives you a natural sense of air currents and the like, that flying creatures possess. I've never seen you use any readers that I know others use."

She was right there. Kaito had thought about buying a few things but he had never needed them. He could always tell wind direction and, more or less, where and how to move. "I guess that makes a bit of sense. And the little guy turning into a dog?"

"He's a detective, right? Dogs have far keener senses than we have. That, and they are often used in police work. It makes sense to me."

Kaito nodded again, yawning. "I suppose the others all make sense too then. I can't say I know them too well to understand why." He did know some about the professor though, and his ability to manipulate electronics in that time made sense as well. "Now that I regained some energy while I was awake, I think I'm going to make up the rest of the sleep I owe my body. If I don't wake before nightfall, get me up."

"You should really stay awake a bit more but I know better than to argue with a fool."

He had to smile. "No, you don't."

"Shut up already and go to bed!"

"Right, right." Kaito laid down, making sure not to hit Hattori. He didn't mind sharing the bed. The other didn't seem like he was going to sleep and, if he was, he could find his own spot. Kaito was out almost the second he closed his eyes.

* * *

…

…

Heiji watched the guy next to him sleep for a good long while, though he found his eyes drifting towards the bed as he thought. After the night before, when Kid had healed him, he'd felt better than ever. He hadn't even needed much sleep, though the others did, and he found himself forgetting this fact too easily.

Kudo… he wasn't here. Heiji had faced this before, but then he'd found out Kudo had been watching him all along. There had never been a case where, if the guy was involved, he wasn't somehow sticking his nose in.

Before now anyway.

Heiji didn't really know Amuro Tooru other than what Kudo had told him about him before, since he'd been investigating him and knew he was part of _them_. Then, all of a sudden, it had been like he didn't care about that fact, even getting Kid's help to go save the guy. Heiji could understand Kudo's want to save a life but to go this far for someone who could kill them all when he woke up? It could very well have just killed Kudo, if he was dealing with a worse case scenario.

 _Yer not this stupid. Ya had a plan, I know ya did. Why didn't ya tell me what it was?_

Heiji got up and went outside. The bright daylight had already flooded the house and it was all the harsher now without a roof. He stopped, looking around Tokyo with nowhere to go. He didn't know this place and he wished this had happened at home.

He had no friends here, no one to rely on besides someone in another time and world altogether. His hand clenched at his side. Fine, if Kudo was risking this much to save this guy, he had nothing to say to that, but he _was_ going to find him.

His feet started taking him down the road, no destination in mind. All he made sure of was that he didn't go near the detective agency. He wasn't sure if Kudo was keeping in touch with those there and he didn't want to risk being questioned on why he was here or where Kudo was.

It seemed he was traveling way from all the larger buildings of Tokyo and into its smaller neighborhoods. There were more people that were passing him that were younger than him than older. He even saw a park filled with kids and had to wonder why there were so many there and not in school.

"Oh, it's Sunday," Heiji spoke aloud, realizing that, with how much school he'd missed, this was one day at least his parents wouldn't care about. He'd told them he was involved in something really important but he wouldn't put it passed them to be looking for him and angry that he was missing so much school. He'd deal with the fallout later.

Most of it. He found himself dealing with some of it right that second when someone ran into him as they were both turning the corner and his fighting instincts kicked in and he punched the guy in the face.

His heart was racing as he took a step back, the other guy on the floor with a hand to his face.

"Ow," the blond said quietly, looking up at him with anger, indignation, and just the tiniest bit of fear. "I had thought you had _some_ manners."

His brain was slower to kick in than it should have been, running as fast as it was. He'd seen this guy before, once. He didn't like him. That was all his memory gave him and he frowned down at the guy, the remembered anger there. "Ya should watch where yer goin'."

"You shouldn't _punch_ people when _you_ ran into them too."

He had a point there and Heiji had to shut up. He reached a hand down when the guy tried to get up. Hakuba something. He had met him with Kudo a while back, though it seemed Kudo had known him before that.

"Yeah, well sorry."

The blond took his hand, getting himself up and rubbing his face. Hattori didn't miss how red it was. There'd be a pretty ugly bruise there once the blood had time to sit. "I'm sorry as well. I was in a rush." Hakuba looked around as if he'd just remembered what he was doing. He went into his pocket and drew out his wallet and a small photo that was folded inside of it. Hakuba held it out to him. "You haven't seen this person, have you?"

Heiji knew from just the glance he had of it that he was looking at a picture of Kid, or Kuroba, or whatever he wanted to call himself. Kudo and he looked a lot alike, but he couldn't see how anyone could mistake them with that hair. There was a girl next to Kid in the picture that he didn't know, she looked a little younger, though it couldn't be by much.

The long silence as Heiji looked at the picture had the blond raising his eyebrows and waiting. Heiji caught the expression quickly and looked away. "No, don't think I've seen 'em anywhere."

"Are you sure about that? Look again." Hakuba didn't move and Heiji didn't need to look back at the picture. "You seemed like they were familiar to you."

"No, they just look like someone I know. Wasn't sure if it was 'em."

"Oh really, who?"

"Just a friend 'a mine. He ain't been home fer a while though."

Hakuba, instead of looking disappointed, smiled and put the photo away. "Hattori-kun, follow me a moment." The blond took his shirt sleeve, giving him no other choice but to follow. They only went a few feet when Hakuba stopped near two younger kids, old enough they were likely in their last years of primary school.

"Excuse me, you two. Can you help me? I'm looking for this person." Hakuba showed the picture to them as well and both kids looked.

The one with the lighter colored hair among them looked back up at the blond. "Which one?"

Hakuba looked back at him and smiled. Heiji tensed up. "Now, that would be the normal first response. I have a picture of two people. It was as if you knew which person I was looking for." The blond turned back to the kids. "I'm looking for the boy."

Both looked again at the photo, likely staring closer at the male this time. Both shook their head. "Sorry about that, niisan."

"That's fine. Sorry for bothering you." Hakuba straightened, slipping the picture in his wallet and turning back to him as the kids ran off. Heiji tried not to look nervous but he'd never been very good at lying. His mother had always told him it was because he was too straightforward and didn't know how to lie well. Maybe she was right. "So, where is he?"

Was there any harm in telling? It wasn't like the guy was walking around with a picture of Kid, and the thief looked pretty normal right now, though he'd likely still be sleeping. Heiji shrugged and sighed. "I just met 'im but he's wit a friend 'a mine. Come on." He turned around, finding he was kind of thankful for something to do, even if it was with someone he didn't really like. "Why ya lookin' fer 'im?"

"The girl you saw in the picture seemed more than a little worried. He hasn't been to school in a few days and his mother doesn't live at home. With her being his next door neighbor, she could tell that he hadn't returned in some time. She did not directly ask me to go looking for him, but it was easy enough to read that it was what she wanted."

Heiji had to snicker. Kid had a girl looking for him. That wasn't too hard to believe. He heard the guy had a lot of fans. He was sure even guys would be going after him. "Ya, guess 'e's been stayin' out here a while. Don't she have 'is number 'er somethin'?"

"Yes, but he hasn't been picking up the phone, and when he has she's only gotten more worried." Hakuba closed his eyes with a smile. "I'm sure a few minutes of his time isn't too much to ask for."

"I think 'e's still sleepin' but it ain't like I kin just tell ya no. Ya'd follow me all day if I did."

"I would."

The blond didn't even try to hide it. Heiji grew just a bit angrier. He might do the same if their positions were reversed and he was looking for someone, but still, their positions _weren't_ reversed and he found it annoying. "Yer like an annyoin' fly."

"I've been called worse. I suppose it comes with being a detective. I'm sure you've had your share of name calling."

Heiji smirked and shook his head. "Not by anyone but you."

Hakuba smiled more. "I suppose it is just a matter of time before others follow my lead."

Heiji huffed. "Ya know, kin ya just say one thing ta me that doesn't make me wanna punch'cha again?"

"That _did_ hurt. I suppose petty payback in the form of words isn't going to get us anywhere. I will thank you. I've been looking for him since yesterday afternoon. I have no idea why he's here though."

"Can't tell ya that. I'm here fer my own reasons. Ain't like I live nearby."

"Hm. I forgot that you're from another part of Japan. Your accent I believe was the reason you were called out the last time. How far from how are you exactly?"

"Do ya ever do anytin' but ask questions?"

Hakuba shut up and Heiji felt a bit bad. This conversation was at least something to distract him. The silence went on, the blond not saying anything more, and Heiji had to let out a breath. "Sorry, guess it wasn't that hard a question ta answer. I'm from Osaka, so a few hours by plane 'er train. Where are ya from? I don't think ya ever said."

"Minato-cho, though it's not nearly as far. I suppose two bus rides would make a little over forty minutes. It's significantly less by car."

"Thought ya were from England though?"

"I am, somewhat. I have family in both countries. I _do_ live in Japan as well."

Heiji nodded. He didn't really care, but he did like keeping up a conversation with someone. Maybe he would have stayed back if the only person who was awake back there wasn't the witch and he had a feeling that she'd be going to sleep with the rest soon enough.

Right, Kid had brought her. He wasn't sure what harm knowing she was there as well could do. He didn't really care either. Maybe he wanted to shake things up when he shouldn't be. Thinking things through right now and worrying about the possibilities was not something he wanted to bother with.

He got back to the professor's after a good while. He didn't know he'd been walking so much. Knocking, he opened the door. "'ello? Ya still up?"

No one was there so he walked in, taking off his shoes. Hakuba followed as well, his eyes scanning the place. Heiji shook his head. Paranoid much?

Kid, as he thought, was still out. No one else that had been conscious before was in the room so he had to guess they were downstairs, the only other area with beds. He went over to the thief, shaking him a bit. He was worried.

Heiji knew Kid shouldn't be sleeping but the bags under his eyes said he needed it. It was like trying to solve two different problems when their solutions contradicted one another. "Come on. Ya been asleep fer like two hours now." It wasn't enough to make up for days without it, but they were relying on his magic more than him having to physically do anything tonight. In fact, Heiji had a feeling that _he'd_ be going with the professor while Kid and Akai-san dealt with the Darkling. There was no way he could sit back and just guess at what was happening over there.

" _Mmm_." Kid shifted to his side, trying to stop being woken while he was unconscious. The marks from the other night were gone but the thief really should get himself a shirt or a blanket. It wasn't like the house was _that_ warm.

"Come on!" Heiji said louder, shaking him some more. "Jus' 'cause ya ate so much doesn't mean ya kin keep sleepin'. It's not even night time no more."

" _I'm tired still_." Kid shifted a bit more, consciously, and tried to put a pillow over his head, only grabbing it and not succeeding in moving it. " _Another hour_."

"Yer friend's here."

Kid's breathing didn't return to the slow shallowness of sleep that it had been before but he didn't open his eyes. Heiji shook him a bit more though he was sure it was his curiosity that woke him. The thief blinked his eyes a few times in the light and looked over, Heiji watching them significantly widen when he saw the blond. Heiji had to wonder how they really knew each other.

"Hakuba?"

Hakuba smiled. "Yes. I think we're going to have to have a talk. Where have you been?"


	16. Purged

**Chapter 16: Purged**

Kid still looked pretty tired as he sat up and stared at the other detective. Heiji was staying back. He wasn't a part of this but he'd use it as a way to kill some time. Kid was helping and he shouldn't have given in so easily. He wasn't sure why he had.

Maybe he was mad, both at himself and the thief, of letting Kudo just vanish like that.

"So, what are you doing here?" Hakuba asked again, now that Kid was sitting up and not ready to go back to bed, even though his eyes reflected far less comprehension than they should.

"That's my businesses, now isn't it? My mom knows that I'm not home and you and Aoko should mind your own damn businesses."

Hakuba smirked. "Who says I didn't come on my own?"

"I know you. Now shut up and get out of here. I need some more sleep." Kid yawned, hiding it behind a hand. It wasn't faked. Heiji knew he needed more sleep too. He really shouldn't be passing out though. Maybe they could use Hakuba to keep the guy awake.

The other detective looked worried though, and the way he was staring at Kid made him think that the guy knew more than he thought. He kept his opinions to himself though. Heiji knew he had a habit of saying things when he shouldn't.

"This is perfect."

Everyone jumped, even Kid, who should have seen the person behind the two of them. Heiji didn't need to turn to know it was the witch that Kid had brought with him. Her voice did… weird things to his mind and the fear that he felt was quickly replaced with longing. He _knew_ he shouldn't be feeling so attracted to someone who he not only didn't really know but had taken to insulting him, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

"Koizumi-san?" Hakuba had a slight blush to his face too as he turned with him, his eyes going between Kid and the pretty witch. There was a spark there, as he probably assumed, this was some weird tryst between the two of them.

"Just perfect," Akako continued, moving over and putting a hand on the blond's shoulder. Heiji felt incredibly jealous when she did that and looked into the others eyes. It was all he could do not to raise a hand against the guy and knock that blush right off his face. "I knew you were lucky but this is pushing things."

"Huh?" Kid asked, a more coherent sentence than Heiji could get out of himself.

"Detective." Akako moved Hakuba by the shoulder to grab both and face him towards Kid. "A time obsessed detective but still. He's very good at finding what he's looking for and, as far as I can feel magically, not very good at anything else. We can use this."

"What are you talking about?" Hakuba looked back at Akako and Heiji was confused enough to not be forcing them apart.

"Tonight would be a very bad idea to have him, because splitting our focus and adding another non-fighter would be asking for trouble, but all isn't so lost anymore looking for the boy covered in blackness. I'm fairly sure we can use Hakuba-san to hunt him down. After, I know no better detective."

Kid looked thoughtful and Heiji felt incredibly insulted. Was she calling Hakuba the better detective?! They had already proved that he wasn't. The guy was an idiot and couldn't find the real culprit in anything if they came up and bit him in the butt. There was no way he'd be relying on him to find Kudo!

"Can he really help?" Kid didn't look all that into the idea either and Heiji would fully fight Akako on including him as well. Some part of him told him if he could help, he should let the blond, but he really didn't like how he acted around Akako. He was _way_ too happy that she was touching him.

"Probably. It's hard to judge magical ability in our own world when it hasn't manifested. It's better than walking around blind and I have no way of locating him."

"I repeat, what are you both talking about?"

"Well… if we leave him out tonight and I can help this guy, that means no looking for the little guy until tomorrow night. Is that safe?"

"I have no idea. No mortal before now has gone into that world and come back out. I've summoned some more ancient beings, but I have never tried to keep them in our world."

"Will you _please_ tell me what's going on?!" Hakuba tore himself way, Heiji loosening up as he did. He hadn't realized how much he was holding back until the blond was out of arms length.

Akako ignored him once again. "I don't think you'd be strong enough to cleanse the boy with how much you'll be using tonight anyway. The most we can hope to do is hunt him down tonight or tomorrow if you finish quickly and then give you time to heal during the day. You're _not_ strong enough to do both. Get that through your head. You couldn't even hold off the Darkling in that man last night."

Kid shrugged. "At least finding him after isn't a bad idea. If he can help-"

"Kuroba, how much harder do you think it will be to find him tonight as opposed to tomorrow? He is in another time, another world. We have no idea how things work there, only how they are when they mingle with our own reality. Hakuba-kun will not be able to protect himself and most of my energy will be wasted in trying to contain the man. If you split us further apart… I would prefer not to go looking for the boy until we finish one thing. It will only endanger us." Akako turned to him. "And you, you've been planning on sneaking away tonight for some time now. _If_ Kuroba-kun loses control of things there is no way I will be able to get him safely away, restrain the man, and fight off anything coming at me. One fighter at my side will not help. You are staying."

Heiji would have liked to fight it but he would never want to endanger her, and thinking that he almost had by being selfish made him feel badly. "Sorry."

She smiled in his direction and it made his cheeks feel hot. "That's okay. Just stay by my side tonight and do as I say."

Hakuba took a seat on the bed, closing his eyes as he let out a breath, staying closer to the shirtless thief than he had thought the other detective would. He didn't know why he had thought those two didn't like each other much. "Please, Kuroba. Explain to me what is going on and what you are all talking about, because I can not follow."

Kid nodded. "Sure, since it seems we're going to need your help. It's a long story though, one you won't believe."

"I've come to believe things that others have called me crazy for. Try me."

…

Heiji was ready. He had gotten some sleep, even if he didn't feel he really needed it. It at least got him not thinking again, though he had had some vague nightmares about the end of the world that left a disturbing afterimage behind.

Hakuba, as Kid and he thought, didn't believe them or what was going on. Akako had insisted a bit and it had stopped the blond's protests, but Heiji felt that they shouldn't involve him anyway. If the guy wanted to think they were all liars, let him.

Night fell while he'd been asleep and it was after ten before he woke. Hakuba, thankfully, wouldn't be going with them tonight. Akako-san had said she had to go to her house to pick something up. He, Kid, Akako, and Akai were all staying in the main room with Amuro-san. The two non-fighters were going to be staying downstairs, hopefully somewhere they couldn't get hurt if things went wrong.

Kid looked better than he had earlier, though it looked like he could still use some sleep. They could worry about that after they got Kudo back. He wasn't about to let the little guy get into any more trouble because the thief needed bed rest. It wasn't as if the guy was hurt.

Akako looked beautiful, standing ready over the end of the bed like a goddess. He felt so inadequate by comparison. The most he could do was bash some Darklings on the head. There was nothing he could do to help her at all. Akai was going to be the one shooting the guy, since Heiji couldn't really do much besides the bashing, and that would either do too much or too little damage.

Plus, he didn't think he could hit someone who was unconscious.

The night changed quickly. He never could understand why it took on a strange blue hue that they could see. Maybe the world these things came from was more well-lit than their own was at night. Amuro woke up really fast and immediately went after Kid, who was next to the bed and had had a hand on the man's arm.

Akako was quick though, and her movements were mesmerizing. She had Amuro tied up again, his hands drawn tight to his side and to the bed, though not before he left a puncture-like gash in Kid's cheek. Heiji couldn't see much of the wound besides the blood, but it made the thief back off.

"Kuroba! Hurry!"

"Ouch." Kid moved his hand from his face, the wound still there though far more closed and bleeding less. Heiji watched the thief replace his hand that was now bloody over Amuro's. It was amazing, really, at how fast the guy could heal injuries.

Heiji's own gifts were far less spectacular. They usually only kicked it right before something happened and close enough in the span of him seeing it to make it too late to be able to do anything about it aside from maybe shouting a warning and making it worse when the person he was yelling at got distracted.

He shifted, looking around the professor's place. It would make it hard for the Darklings to get in, but not impossible. The glass was easier for them to break than the wall and there were far too many windows.

The gun went off a few times, making Amuro scream. Heiji did his best not to look. If something went wrong and they needed him, they'd say something. That or he'd notice them be pushed back. Either way, he wasn't going to watch people hurting others when there was no one side that was right or, really, was wanting to hurt the other.

The trashing and threats and screaming went on for a few minutes. It felt like far longer than that but he was sure that was the adrenaline talking. He wished the weird midnight hour would go back to the way it had been before. At least then it had been strange and distant and something he could ignore. Now it was full of pain and lost friends and confusion.

Heiji heard some weird noise come from Kid. He wasn't sure what it had been but it was enough to have him shift focus to the thief.

Kid didn't look so good. There was sweat clearly running down his face and it looked like he was fighting off a semi or something, what with how tense he was. Heiji didn't know what Darklings felt like and didn't really want to know. He'd had this particular one come at him and nearly kill him before. He didn't want a repeat of those events.

"Kuroba." Akako looked over at the thief as Heiji considered what to do. "Your energy is too weak. You have to put more out or you won't make any headway. I can continue to weaken the Darkling, but it won't be substantial enough if you don't help."

"I'm trying. It's not as easy as it looks. I just started learning how to do this and trial by fire isn't the easiest way." Kid's frown deepened and it looked like he was in pain or something.

Heiji put a hand on his shoulder, thankful the thief had put on a shirt. "Hey, ya kin do it."

"Yeah." Kid didn't bother looking back at him, keeping his attention on the task at hand. "I can."

Heiji could see the blood on the other guy too, from where he'd been shot. The guy had been wearing a gray shirt so it showed up as black where it was staining near his stomach and his arms. Glancing at his face, he could see his teeth were clenched and that black swirling stuff that had been around him before was barely flickering over his body now. It was his eyes, angry and burning too bright with the white light that really drew his attention. He couldn't hear what the guy was saying but he was sure, closer to him, that Kid probably could.

The thief stood up five minutes later, a little unsteady as he put his other hand on Amuro's forehead and said something too quiet for Heiji to catch. He saw the man fight more, trying to get out of his bindings that were clearly cutting into his skin now, where they weren't in contact with his clothes.

It looked painful, for both of them, as the white and black faded at the same time, Kid waited a few seconds, letting the light come back for a couple heartbeats before it vanished again. Then the thief passed out, falling to the side, barely giving Heiji enough time to catch him again. He wasn't bad at seeing it at this point, but some warning would have been nice.

"That's not good." Akako let her darkness energy fall, no longer restraining the man. Heiji had to figure that meant he was better and wasn't sure how that could be a bad thing. The witch, instead of going over to the bleeding blond, went over and placed a hand on Kid's forehead. It brought her closer to him and Heiji felt his face heat up, trying to shift the thief into a better hold in his arms. "I knew he'd push himself doing that. He's too untrained. Even if he had full use of his powers, he hasn't recovered enough to do anything less than push himself too far. Here." Akako went into the pocket of her skirt and took out a small box. "There's a chocolate infused with energy in here. Have him eat it. Quickly please."

Heiji had to try to do as she said as soon as she said it, but holding Kid and trying to get the box at the same time were hard. He ended up half dropping Kid to the ground before reaching up and then laying the thief down beside the beds. It would be too hard to get his dead weight up onto one of them. He opened the box, staring at the piece of chocolate before looking up at Akako.

"He'll choke if 'e's unconscious though."

"Hm. Good point." Akako knelt down beside him, taking his hand to recover the chocolate while his mind went blank with the fact that she was touching him. She shifted Kid so his mouth was partially open and he watched as fire appeared around her fingers, melting the chocolate into the thief's mouth.

He so badly wanted that to be him right now that Heiji had to shake his head and get that image out of there. They had to find Kudo, even if there was only a small chance he'd be in the same place as last night. Kid could probably get there faster than the rest of them on his wings, unless they used the brooms again. He didn't really want to do that, but he would, if Akako was willing and had the energy for it.

Heiji's attention was on the bed when Amuro sat up, putting a hand to his arm and wincing. He looked at those on the floor, this being the first time the guy would consciously be aware of Akako or the thief. He looked too out of it to be much of a threat and Heiji was fairly certain Kid had done what he'd been trying to do and gotten rid of the Darkling. That didn't mean this man wasn't very dangerous.

" _What happened?"_ The guy sounded really hoarse, probably because he'd been talking like the Darklings the last few days. He didn't know how that had even been possible with human vocal cords.

"Ya went crazy 'n tried ta kill us all, so we brought in help."

"Ah. I just remember…" Amuro frowned and turned forward, thinking. "Darkness and a lot of pain. One of those things was… eating me. That's the best way I can describe it. And I could _feel_ it eating me." He shivered very slightly. Heiji almost missed it. He didn't _ever_ want to experience that. The man turned back to him. "So I take it someone here is that healer we were looking for."

Heiji pointed to the unconscious thief. Akako had finished feeding him – _something he still would like her to do to him_ – but he didn't seem to be waking yet. "Ya, this guy. Wasn't easy though. Would 'ave been if we jus' found 'im 'fore they got ya."

"So what happened? The last thing I remember was the hotel room."

Heiji let out a breath. He was the only one there from the start besides Kudo, so he had to explain. There wasn't any reason to keep it secret. It had been less than three days but it felt like so much longer. Amuro didn't seem to really care about the pain he caused. All he did was look like he was thinking as Heiji went over the small details, omitting only who Kid was and glossing him over as a friend of Kudo's. He was sure the storytelling didn't kill much time and he grew worried when he finished. With Amuro free of the Darkling, they could very well be attacked like they were before again. "Ah, this house ain't that safe to be at, now that we're on the subject."

"It's fine. I can hold up a barrier here with little worry, though I'm waiting for a Darkling to come close enough for me to want to. There's no point wasting energy if we're not being attacked."

Heiji nodded, his eyes catching the light as Amuro's eyes started to glow. It was creepy seeing it now when he was used to seeing it with the dark smoke around him. "I can tell you if something comes close as long as you tell me if something happens in here. Am as good as blind inside like this."

"Sure." Akako stood up, looking around the room. "We can't go after Conan-kun tonight. Kuroba-kun's going to need more rest to change him back, even if we do find him." She turned to Amuro. "Can you find him?"

"Conan-kun? Let me try." The blond squinted, as if trying to look at small print. They waited for less than a minute before he shook his head. "No, when I try to concentrate on him, I just see shadows. I can try again later to see if I get different results." He rubbed one of his eyes. "I know I'm not seeing as well as I used to."

"You fought off a Darkling for a long time. The fact that you're even conscious right now is a miracle to me. You can't stay in this time though. Removing the taint from you would have left your body with nowhere to go, considering we're still in a mix of the two worlds. I think Kuroba-kun realized this on an instinctual level and didn't remove yours. Fighting the higher level Darklings while looking for the boy is suicidal. We'll be trying out a better option and leaving you out of this time. I can't say the Darklings won't try and get you again, like they somehow did the first time, but I can give you a few things to keep yourself protected enough that it should deter them."

Amuro nodded. Heiji was also looking forward to getting out of this time, once they grabbed Kudo. He had enough of magic to last a lifetime.

Kid shifted, blinking his eyes open and putting a hand to his head. Akako looked down at the thief while Heiji watched them.

"Feel like death?"

"Pretty much." Kid's movements were stiff as he sat up, catching sight of Amuro awake in the bed with the glowing eyes. Heiji was pretty sure that jumped his instincts into high gear before logic got the better of them. "Looks like it worked."

"Yes. I recommend you cleansing everyone of this taint when we're done. You overused your powers too much here, and to the Darklings you're nothing but an enemy. As a healer, they cannot even possess you. It's just not possible. You're at the opposite end of their creation."

"It's not all that bad. I wish we could understand this more though." Kid winced, looking like he was in pain to get himself standing. Heiji offered him a hand, which he was surprised the thief took willingly. "I don't think they're all bad, just some of them or… I don't know. I guess, having run into a few that weren't going all out to kill me, it makes me wonder how Darklings work."

"They're not part of our world and never should be. It's better to let things lay as they are. Courting danger may be fun to you, but _some_ of us believe in something called self-preservation."

Kid chuckled and even Heiji had to laugh at that. He'd been told in the past his own sense of self-preservation was lacking. These Darkling things took that too a whole new level. He'd never be as afraid of a gun as he was of that she-wolf.

"Fine, this is me letting it drop. I have enough to worry about in the real world anyway." Kid stretched, sitting down on the bed. He looked around, Heiji trusting that Amuro was watching and not as paranoid. "How long was I out?"

"Fifteen or so minutes, maybe a bit longer. We have some time to waste and you should be using it to get your energy back up. Go run around the room or something."

Kid leveled his gaze at her. "I feel like I just survived a bear attack. I really don't think I can run around the room just yet."

"Because your magical energy is drained. Go." Akako went over to the thief and hit him upside the head. It got an 'ouch' and 'okay' out of him before Kid went and they all spent the next few minutes watching him run around the room.

It was actually more entertaining that Heiji thought it would be. While there was open space around for a sizable enough track, Kid turned it into some weird indoor version of parkour. Heiji knew even on his best day he could never be as agile as the thief was. It made him a bit jealous, though he was pretty sure when it came to fighting, Kid couldn't take him. Heck, he wasn't sure the thief could take anyone his own age or older. He just didn't seem the fighting type.

Of course the thief wore himself out soon after and passed out on the bed. There was still some time left so Heiji went over and looked out the door. Besides a flash of insight when Kudo had first gotten grabbed by the Darkling the previous night, he saw nothing. He hadn't even seen that small attack that left Kid with that mark on his face. He had to wonder if he healed that or if he just forgot about it as he passed out.

The time changed and Heiji let out a heavy breath. They hadn't been attacked but that was just tonight. Who knew what was happening to Kudo while they were cleaning up this mess.

Heiji decided it was best to get some sleep and they'd worry about the rest tomorrow. The main issue they had had was the Darkling possession, and that seemed to be dealt with. When Kid woke up, he could take care of the taint or whatever.

 _Don't worry man, I didn't ferget 'bout'cha. We're commin' ta getcha._


	17. Restart

**Chapter 17: Restart**

Hakuba came up the stairs after midnight had ended. Kaito hadn't known about that though until he was fully awake some time after two am, when someone was hurting him.

" _Ow_ ," he moaned, pushing away the hand from his face.

"The wound isn't very clean and I was told you cannot heal yourself yet, though as I cannot understand how you can do so in the first place, I will have to take the fact at face value."

Hakuba was so annoying. He was right though. Kaito knew using some of his energy right now would be stupid, and he could easily heal the little wound come tomorrow or after he got the little guy back. He wanted to go back to sleep but his classmate poking at it made it impossible. Even after a bandage was put on the wound, it continued to sting.

"So… if I hadn't seen it myself I doubt I would have believed it. Was last night some form of time travel or something?"

"No, actually…" Kaito had to think on that. Maybe it kind of was. "Not in the way you're thinking. I don't remember explaining anything to you, so I guess it's no wonder you're kind of confused. You should _really_ stay out of this anyway."

"Hattori-kun told me the fantastical story last night. I still find it hard to believe. I was told again that it was a better idea for me to help with finding, apparently, Conan-kun. I have no idea if I can but Koizumi-kun seems to think so. I am also more than a little curious."

"Of course you would be. Some place that could very well kill you is just so exciting." Kaito rolled his eyes. "Well, I suppose as long as I get more rest, I can't see the trouble. You're staying near me though and _not_ running off because something looks 'interesting'."

"I will resist the temptation, though I admit, I still find what I've been told very hard to believe." Hakuba got off the bed, the weight shifting Kaito back to where he had been.

"I'm letting you know now that I was listening." Kaito heard the voice from not far off. He hadn't ever heard the man speak much, mostly because it was really hard to focus on much besides a gun when it was in your face. That didn't mean his memory didn't have it down. "I'm apparently pretty weak, but I can likely help find him once I'm better. I'd be pretty useless if they wanted me this badly and I wasn't able to do something as simple as find Conan-kun. While I've been told it's too dangerous, I have little understanding of the situation as it is now. You are the one who helped me so I'm leaving it up to you. If I can help find him, I will. If you don't want me there again, I won't be. You're the only one who can control that."

Kaito didn't really want to turn to look at him. That was a lot to think over. While he didn't trust this man, Tantei-kun had. That would put them all in some pretty extreme danger if they made an attempt on him, anything like what he'd flown in on. "Let me think about it."

"I won't push the matter." Kaito could hear the sounds of the bed straining as the man stood. "And honestly, I'm starving. Do either of you two want anything to eat?"

Kaito had eaten a ton before but his stomach growled now, thinking about more. He put a hand to it and blushed before nodded, unsure if the man could see it in only the moonlight that was coming in through the windows, tacking on a 'sure' to it.

"I wouldn't mind something small. I think we should all try and get some sleep after that. I haven't gotten myself any yet."

"That's because you're a stupid idiot detective who doesn't know how to let things sit."

It surprised him a little when the other man chuckled along with Hakuba. That was interesting and he added it to his list of strange things about this guy, who he'd have to look into at some point.

Kaito could smell as the food cooked and let himself relax. He could feel Hakuba staring at him, but he was too tired to do much about it. Honestly, he'd never felt like he'd been run this ragged before, even with several heists that he'd done consecutively.

"Ask," he finally said after what felt like forever and a nap later. "I hate when you're quiet. It makes me think you're scheming something up."

"And who says I am not? I could say the same of you, if it didn't look like you were unconscious rather than silent."

Kaito let out a breath. "You want to know more about that time and what's going on. No matter what I say though you won't believe me until you're there and Akako-san would know a lot more about it than I do, yet you're not asking her. My guess is this is because she went to sleep and you can bother me just fine when I'm out because there's no way you'd go bothering a female. So, with nothing to sooth your curiosity, you're doing just that." Kaito peeked an eye open. "Right, detective?"

Hakuba laughed quietly behind one of his hands. "I will congratulate you on your well thought out deduction there, though you did forget one thing. Since I do not believe you, I find it hard to believe that there is any real danger. I will thus likely go against everything you say tonight, so do try to watch out for me."

"I was going to do that anyway. While you're one of the last people to get into trouble, I wouldn't put it past you to do while my back is turned. Finding the kid comes first, before your big nose gets you anywhere. We don't know how time works on that side of things and we don't want it to keep him if it's, say, a month for ever one of our nights."

" _Damn it_ ," he heard Hattori snarl, apparently having opened the front door and been eavesdropping. "Didn't think 'bout that."

"Where have you been? I thought we were supposed to all be getting some sleep."

"There ain't anymore beds. 'sides, can't sleep."

"I'm making more than enough food. Want some?"

Kaito still didn't know how the little guy could trust someone who tried to kill him, but it wouldn't be the first time for Kaito, so he didn't care much. He didn't know who he was and hey, why poison them? There was nothing to gain from it.

"Nah, I ate."

"So did I, but you don't see me turning him down."

"Ya could eat 'nough fer a starvin' village an' still be hungry."

He laughed to himself. "True, but that still doesn't mean anything. You've been worried. I'm sure you only had that one meal that I was around to witness. I don't see you as someone to go out and get food without asking anyone else. You're too social for that. He," he said, pointing at Hakuba, "is just too damn polite to do it."

"Still doesn't mean I'm hungry."

Kaito frowned. It was weird to see the dark skinned detective depressed. Sure he'd never seen much of him, but he jumped between angry, worried, and happy enough in those few instances that he didn't think 'depressed' was in his repertoire.

He wasn't going to push him to eat though. He knew he was loud, too loud for his liking, and would start saying things he shouldn't. With the mystery man and the more annoying detective in the room, he'd knock him out before relying on him to keep his mouth shut.

Hakuba yawned, quickly making it catch to him as well. Kaito had to wonder how much everyone else had cut short their sleep as well. It would be easier for him if he didn't have to stay awake or whatever to regain his 'magic'. He wasn't going to say he didn't have magic, he felt it, had been using it, but it was still so strange. He'd rather levitate things or something. Healing magic was just… kind of boring, but very helpful.

"I'm going back to bed. Hey, cook-san, what's the ETA on that?"

"About twenty minutes still." The man backed away from the counter and over to him, taking off an apron that Kaito had missed him putting on. "Hakuba-kun, right? You can take the bed I was in. I'm not that tired right now and I've been missing for over twenty-four hours in everyone's eyes. I'm going to need to make some calls."

Hakuba nodded and got off Kaito's bed, going over to the other and just sitting there. He had a feeling the detective was embarrassed to be going to sleep in front of others. As an only child, Kaito had run into that same embarrassment. It was only through Aoko that he grew used to having someone else hear the rhythm of his breathing and other rather personal stuff.

"I'm gonna take the couch." Hattori went over to one of the two couches the professor had, out of his line of vision.

Kaito sighed and got up as well, after the Bourbon man had gone outside, letting the food cook. "I'll take the other one. He's bigger than me and I can fit on the couch better." It would leave Hakuba alone for a while so he could get to sleep too. "I'll talk to you in the morning, and thanks."

Hakuba smiled and nodded to him, leaving Kaito uneasy. They didn't normally get along, and this was a bunch of strange circumstances if nothing else that didn't make connecting any easier.

In reality, all of them were a bunch of strangers to him. He had to stop being so helpful.

He laid down, hearing Hattori's deeper breathing, as he had somehow already fallen asleep. Kaito envied that ability. He could pass out but only after some really extraneous exercise.

He closed his eyes, unsure when he dropped off himself but knowing it wasn't as quickly as Hattori. He had heard the door open and close and a few shifts of this or that before the blackness took him.

And he wished it had stayed that way.

He was woken some time after dawn, Akako-san insisting he not sleep anymore. The food from last night was shoved at him, having been kept for those that weren't awake. He had to admit, the guy was great at preparation and it tasted pretty good too. The reason why was answered after Hakuba asked him and it was revealed the man worked at a café. It seemed so mundane that Kaito wasn't sure if he was really telling the truth or not, but didn't argue on the topic.

For the next few hours, Akako-san had him just doing basic training exercises they normally did in gym class. He didn't mind. He liked moving. It felt better than eating and being stuck in bed. He was sure that he'd have enough energy to get the little guy back but she didn't let him stop until he was sweating and had escaped her, going inside to look for a snack.

What the others did, he wasn't sure, though he was fairly certain that Hakuba had gone off to class. Their school wasn't that far from the professor's house, and he had an image to keep up. Kaito felt happy about that though. He could at least tell Aoko to get off his case for the next day or two.

Doing boring stuff like going to the store to pick up some less 'health conscious' snacks and a little time at the arcade (which Akako had to agree was active work and above reproach) had him back at the house some time after nine. The only difference now was he had to choose between cleansing the man or hoping he had enough energy himself to track the little guy down now without involving Hakuba – who he'd probably have to involve anyway just so they didn't waste another day.

"I'd rather not be attacked and killed. Kuroba-kun doesn't have enough energy to keep healing everyone. Once they go through you all, they'll be going after me as well. It's really not safe for you to join us again."

And the conversation went on like that. On one hand, it was very dangerous to have him with them. They were just lucky nothing had attacked them while Kaito had been cleansing him. They still weren't sure why that was, which left even more unknowns. On the other hand, all Akako could tell about Hakuba was he had some innate detective-y power in the other time. They still weren't sure what it was or how it worked or if he could even be helpful.

And, of course, all the decision making was left up to him. He couldn't taint Hakuba like Akako could, but he seemed to be coming no matter what. Even the little girl and the professor were hanging around in the back, wanting in on the action. That little guy had way too many friends.

"I haven't even healed you much." Kaito met the eyes of the man he wasn't sure that he could trust that wanted to help the little guy just as much as the others seemed to. "Some of those bullet holes you have are still pretty deep. I wouldn't be fixing them until after I get rid of the taint on Conan-kun."

The blond shrugged. "It doesn't bother me that much. It's not like I'll be a fighter."

Kaito was beyond torn. He would never deny someone who wanted to help, but having him there would endanger the rest of them. Kaito felt his own presence did that some of the time, and he still went, so he couldn't say no outright.

"Even wit' the p'erfess'er an' the girl, we ain't really big on firepower. I think the more people we got, the harder it'll be. But it ain't like those of us without firepower are useless. 'sup ta ya."

Technically the only ones that could fight were Akako-san and maybe the guy with the gun if she set that up to work again. The rest of them were relying on skills or personal strength they normally had. Having the other guy with him would be great then, since he'd heard he could fight. He had no idea where the guy with the gun had gone anyway. He hadn't seen him since last night.

"Ah." Kaito put his head in his hands, feeling the strands with his fingers as he drew it slightly away from him. "I'd rather not take on anything I can't survive. I'm sorry. If Hakuba-kun can't find him then we'll try having you help tomorrow. Are you good with that?"

Kaito didn't really like meeting the guy's eyes. They didn't scare him or anything, it was just that he was one of the few out there that were very hard to read.

"That's fine with me as long as you know how to get me involved again if you need me."

Kaito turned his eyes to Akako. "If we need him, can you? I know you don't want to and I won't ask you to do more than that."

She let out a breath, shifting her legs so one crossed the other. "I can and will and you're not losing me that easily. Remove the taint from him before it's too late then." She took something out of her pocket that looked like a chocolate ball about the size of a five-yen coin. "Here, Hakuba-kun. Eat this. It's how I taint myself too. It'll wear off in twenty-four hours, but I don't think you'll need another."

"What is it?" The detective took the supposed chocolate and looked it over, twirling it around in his fingers to see if it was going to come alive or something.

"Just eat it." She turned back to him. "And no healing. You'll wear yourself out. You can heal him and the boy and anyone else who needs it some other time."

"Hai, hai." Kaito got off the bed. He wanted to nap before tonight, having been moving most of the day, but he figured it was better to have more magical power than physical and/or mental. He could make up the rest later.

Amuro was standing off to the side and Kaito held out his hand. He needed to be touching him for this. Akako made it sound like it was possible to do it without touch, but he'd never been able to pull that off and it took a lot more energy that it was worth. "I'll heal you tomorrow."

The blond nodded and held out his hand. "Good luck."

Kaito could see the blackness on him now that he was touching him. It wasn't something he could normally see in real time. He could only assume he saw it now because he was trying to remove it.

There wasn't much. He'd gotten rid of the Darkling and most of it the night before. It didn't take long to remove the blackness on his chest and the underside of one of his arms. He let his hand go after, turning back to the others and nodding. "We'll see if we can't figure out what Hakuba-kun can do then." His gaze went to the detective. "And don't you dare put your attention elsewhere until then. You're the one we're going to have to be relying on." Thankfully they'd have a car again, the blond man's actually, though the man didn't need to know that. His car was simply faster and Akako didn't want to use her magic on brooms again. Half of them would be but he, the professor, the girl, and Hakuba-kun would be in the car. He could drive it well enough and the other guy was still missing.

"You have my word. If someone is in danger, I will be helping with that first. I'm not callous enough to ignore something like that, as you should be aware."

"Sure, sure." Kaito waved his hand and went to look out the window. "As for the Darklings… we all suck. Hattori-kun, you and Akako-san are going to need to be the ones to stop any of them. You'll be overhead so try and not get too far ahead of us, just in case."

"Why can't I be in the car too?" the dark skinned detective complained. Kaito just rolled his eyes and no one else cared to answer, though Hakuba-kun seemed rather confused. Kaito would have been in the air himself if anyone else was around that could drive the manual.

"I want to go back to sleep." Kaito, instead of sitting on the bed again where the others were gathered, sat next to it and leaned back, using it as a backrest and closing his eyes. "So everyone's going this time, right?"

There were nods all around though the blond man only put his hands up in surrender. Kaito made sure they all had agreed before shutting his eyes again. So there was him, Hattori, Hakuba, Akako, Ai, the professor, and maybe the guy with the gun. Six, possibly seven. And of course all their powers pretty much sucked. Wings were great and all, and he could probably fly away from the enemies, but that wouldn't help him take them down.

"Hey," Kaito hadn't wanted to voice this, but it had been weighing on his mind for some time. "Akako-san. Say the kid got himself killed in that other world, would he come back to ours or not?"

"I have no idea. I told you that those who have gone into that time haven't returned. My guess is if he died there then no, he wouldn't return to our own."

So there was a chance the little detective was dead. Kaito didn't want to face that but the fact that the blond man hadn't been able to find him was worrying. That guy could see everything, or so he'd been told. It was why the others had gone seeking his help as Kid in the first place, because the man was so valuable that people were in trouble.

Hakuba-kun wasn't nearly as valuable in their eyes, so Kaito couldn't be sure he could help them either. This whole thing had started because of that stupid train ride apparently. He wanted to end it, and to do that, he needed to get the small detective back and alive.

"Kuroba-kun, while we're sitting here and waiting on this, how much energy of yours does it take to, say, heal your own injury? I've noticed you haven't removed the bandage and yet you did something or another that I could not see just a little while ago."

"That's completely different. I needed to do that to make sure he wasn't dragged along with us. This really isn't that bad. His injuries are worse." Kaito put a hand to his cheek. It was more of a flesh wound now but it had been deep, had even knocked out a few of his teeth that he'd – thankfully – been able to put back into place. The other guy had to have bandages or he would have been bleeding all over the place still. He'd barely been able to get the more serious of his injuries before the world had gone dark on him.

"That didn't answer my question."

"Because I can't. It's not something I can measure. Would I be able to do it right now? Sure. Would it take just that bit more that I need when we find Conan-kun? I have no idea. I'm still pretty weak as far as magic. I had tons more a few days ago."

"Because you pushed yourself and are expecting to get back to full within a day. That isn't how it works. As for how much you've put out, you won't have the energy you started with for at least a week, maybe two. If I could be sure the boy would be fine until then, I would make you postpone using any more. I don't know if you're aware but you went near comatose last night. I don't have anything I can give you to restore any more than the smallest bit of magic to you. Yours and mine, just like the Darkling's, run in opposition to one another."

"I didn't know. Thanks." He had figured something happened to him last night, what with the way he had passed out, but he had woken back up. "And removing something with a mind is _a lot_ harder. I can help Conan-kun easily once we find him."

"I'm aware. That is about all you can do. Though the Darklings don't take to attacking everyone, they may try and possess instead of kill you. You are all warned of this now. Kuroba-kun doesn't have the energy for something like last night again. If you're possessed, you're lost."

That sobered up the atmosphere. Kaito didn't really much care. He was sure if something like that happened again, he could still pull it off. He'd just need another day's rest and they'd have to do what they did with the man. It wasn't as if it was impossible.

"I suppose I would need to see part of this to understand, but possessed? How would you know that that is happening as opposed to something attacking you? I believed you likened these things to some form of shadow beast. Do they stare at you or something?"

Kaito didn't mind Hakuba asking survival questions. If he had not seen for himself what a possession was like, he would have asked. "No, they… they attack you like normal, but instead of just killing you it's like they… You know, I have no idea how that doesn't kill you." He looked over at the blond man. "You were pretty hurt, even before it was us that did it, but your wounds were closed. Besides being black, it didn't seem all that different than if I had done it."

"Because it's not. When a Darkling possesses you, it will wound you, make you as weak as it can – even to the point of fatality – before mixing its own blood with yours. Once it does, it can fuse its body with your own, that now contains a part of itself, and shove your mind aside. Not many can stand up to this." Akako's eyes went to the man but he shrugged. "Once it becomes a part of you, it uses its own body to heal yours – or its new body. So, I suppose, don't get too hurt and you should be fine. They don't try to possess without injuring. It's simply too hard."

"Considering you seem to have fought off these effects for quite some time, do you have any tips to offer?" Hakuba asked the man.

"I don't remember much. If it was messing with my head, I didn't feel it. All I knew was I didn't want to die. I thought that a few times but other than that, I can't recall anything." The man smiled. "I suppose it trying to kill me ticked me off. I fought back with anger and determination. Mind over matter and such works well in this case."

Hakuba nodded. Kaito knew he would never have to fight off a Darkling like that, since Akako said he couldn't be possessed, but his mind was working on other things.

"Hey, Akako-san, that possession process… What if that thing _was_ trying to get the little detective last night? What if it got to the process of mixing its blood with his and then was killed before it could add its mind? Would that make the little guy a Darkling still?"

Akako looked like she was really thinking on that. Kaito had a feeling that that was what he saw last night, the blackness all over him. It made sense now. Those things were all blackness. What would that do to the kid though?

"I suppose it's possible. Since its mind didn't transfer, the boy should still have his own thoughts then. That poses an even bigger problem though. If it changed his being already, he is in all senses one of them. While you won't have a mind to fight against, it won't be any easier than last night. Besides expelling, or in this case destroying, the possessing Darkling, you changed his very being back to what it had been. It comes with the processes, since it's hard to expel one without the other. You passed out the last time you tried to help him when he was only tainted. You'll be changing him now." She closed her eyes. "We look for him tonight and try to help him tomorrow. Kuroba-kun, you need the rest, badly. You're literally on the edge of the knife right now as it is. I had thought simply removing the taint would be all you were faced with. You _can not_ do this tonight. We find him, that's it."

"But'cha said ya have no idea what goes on in that other world. What if 'e needs ta come back? What if somethin' happens ta 'im? What if-"

"Shhh, Hattori-kun." Kaito tipped his head. "He can still talk as a dog, even if this made him stuck as one. We'll see what's going on once we find him and figure out the rest after. If I can remove enough, it should bring him back to this time. I'm sure I have enough energy for that." He wasn't, but it was worth saying. He wouldn't be making any rash decisions until the kid was in front of him.

"Fine, kill yourself, I don't care."

"Shhh, Akako-san." Why was everyone thinking so negatively? "We'll figure something out. It isn't like we have anything solid to go on right now, and Hakuba-kun doesn't know how to use whatever power he has yet. For all we know the kid will walk right up to the door and have been waiting for us. Until we know more, everyone just shush." Kaito closed his eyes again. He hated being the voice of reason.

Thankfully no one else spoke up. He was good at shutting people up, even when he wasn't trying to. He smiled to himself, relaxing for a bit. He knew Hakuba was still confused and heard him asking Akako for any final minute answers he could get.

He felt when the time changed even with his eyes closed. It was a like a shot of energy that made his heart stop for a moment before it started again. He opened his eyes and looked at those around him, making sure the man was motionless and darker than the others just to be sure.

"Welcome to the dark side, Hakuba-kun. Someone make some cookies."


	18. The Dark Side

**Chapter 18: The Dark Side**

Hakuba had to poke around for a bit. It was impossible to get his attention otherwise and Kaito let him have a few minutes. Hattori was the one who was anxious and couldn't seem to wait while the detective did his usual detecting.

After everyone except Hattori calmed down, Akako and Kaito kind of looked him over.

"So… what can you do?"

"I don't know. Am I supposed to be able to tell?"

"Usually, yes." She turned to the rest of them. "Were you all able to tell what you could do?"

Kaito nodded. "I kind of had to learn fast though, so I'm not the best person to ask."

"I don't think I knew what I could do. I just picked up a flashlight and turned it on. I didn't think it wasn't supposed to or anything."

Ai nodded. "I knew only after I was thinking about something and the image started appearing before me. Maybe there's a trigger, maybe not. You can't just thinking about him and see him like the other could, can you?"

Hakuba looked like he was trying that for a second before he shook his head. "No, everything appears normal to me."

"Hm. This is strange. I sense some detection ability from you, but I'm not sure how it works. I can tell it focuses more on who a person is than the image of that person, which is why I thought you would be better for this to start with. What do you normally do when looking into a criminal?"

"I suppose I watch them first, then do my research on them." Hakuba went into his pocket, looking at his watch. Time stopped so it wouldn't be doing him any good here, but the detective opened it and started at the hands anyway. "Evidence helps as well."

"Maybe you do need something of his then, like I would. That would make some sense." She looked at Hattori-kun. "You know him best. Do you have anything from him?"

"Well…" The dark skinned boy thought. "Don't think 'e ever gave me nothing. He had this fer a bit, but only a day. Don't think that'll help." The teen pulled out a pouch from around his neck that Kaito had never seen before. He had to wonder what was in it. "'s fingerprint's on it though. Think that's enough?"

"We'll see." She held out her hand, Hattori handing over the makeshift necklace before passing it to Hakuba. "Think you can find Conan-kun instead of Hattori-kun? If not, at least we'll know how your powers work."

Hakuba held it in his hands, turning it over and not looking inside. Kaito had to wonder if there was a reason he didn't. There was no way the pouch had the detective's fingerprint on it, so likely whatever was inside did. "I'm still unsure what I'm supposed to be doing. I want to help find Conan-kun, but this seems rather…"

"Impossible?" Kaito shook his head. "It all seems impossible. How about we not try pushing so hard? Let's start with the basics." He made a rose appear in his hands and handed it over to Hakuba. "Here. Come find me. I won't be far. If you can't find me, there's no way you can find the kid. This is easier. Don't stress so much." And with that he walked out the door.

….

Saguru stared at the rose in his hand to the door the teen had just left from. While the magician was typically throwing the impossible at him, this was pushing it. He had no idea what he was supposed to be doing or how he was supposed to be using these items to locate their owners.

Gently, he handed the pouch back to Koizumi-san. He didn't think holding them both would help with whatever 'detection' power he supposedly had in this world. The watch was too much as well, but he felt like he should be holding it, so he hadn't put it away. "I'm not sure how much this helps."

Akako shrugged. "I suppose finding Kuroba-kun is more simple. We're not sure you can even find Conan-kun, if he's a Darkling now. Does anything feel different?"

"Not really." Saguru took in and let out a long breath. "Kuroba… this was not what I came here for. So…" how would he go about finding someone? Well, he had his evidence, even knew what Kuroba looked like – though it seemed that didn't matter according to Koizumi. He'd of course pursue him now if he could.

Saguru almost dropped his watch when he saw movement on it out of the corner of his eye. He looked back at the useless article, seeing that the hands on it had started to move, the long one pointing to the far side of one of the walls while the short one was pointed towards the window. Saguru moved his hand experimentally, the hands moving once more to keep their trajectory.

"Well, that's unusual." _And if this is simply the magician having messed with my watch, he will be sorry_.

Koizumi was looking over his shoulder at the hands. "Let me see something. It will just take a second." She held her hand out and Saguru watched several lights dance around in it that he was sure were moving under their own volition. He shook his head, thinking he was seeing things. They lined themselves up in a square shape and Koizumi glanced back at his watch.

"I think the short hand is pointing North. The other one seems to be stuck in the southeast position, though not exactly. It seems you turned it into some sort of compass."

"That's… a good thing?" He looked at his watch, hoping that this wasn't going to damage it.

"If you were in the air, yes. This will be harder with buildings and other obstacles in the way. Let's be sure it works first." She grabbed his arm, an act that made Saguru blush, and dragged him towards the door. He quickly found his own feet and moved forward on his own enough to get her to let go.

Once outside, the stillness of it all once again hit him. While the stillness in the house, the constant hum of electricity cut off, was disturbing, being outside in a much wider area of dead space was even more eerie.

He went around the house the hand was indicating, having to turn another corner. As he did, he noticed even the second hand was acting strangely. The closer he got, the higher it seemed to rise. He thought it would hit the glass casing before it seemed to go _through_ it, pointing upward.

Saguru looked up on instinct, seeing his classmate on top of, all things, a light post. That didn't surprise him. What got him were the large wings he seemed to have sprouted in the short time they had been apart from one another.

"Hey, look, it worked." Kuroba jumped down but instead of falling the large distance, the wings seemed to catch him, making no sound in the still air and his landing just as silent. "Let's see if you can find the little guy now."

"Right." Saguru held the rose back out to him. "And I do not need this. I am not one of your fan girls."

Kuroba took it back with a smirk and a quiet laugh. "There isn't much difference between them and you. All the girls in class want a piece of me, even if they want to thrash that piece. I'm sure you feel the same."

Of course Kuroba would change it to the girls in class. Saguru let it drop, turning and reclaiming the pouch he had handed Koizumi. "Keep telling yourself that." He took in and let out a breath. Instead of moving, both hands returned to their original position and seemed stuck there, even when he turned. "Huh."

"Doesn't work, huh?" Kuroba was now looking over his shoulder as well as Koizumi, and he could practically feel Hattori ready to lose his cool, the professor and the little girl thankfully holding him back.

"I don't know. It didn't work for you immediately either." Saguru thought back. It was all so strange he wasn't mentally holding onto much of the mundane, but what had he done to get it to work. "I think I was scolding you when it finally moved."

Kuroba snickered. "Only you would insult someone who's not even in the room."

"Well, I have no insulting words for Conan-kun. He has never given me anything I could pick apart."

He was almost surprised when the hands, once more, started to move. He frowned at them, recognizing the small hand once more pointing to the North while the larger one pointed off to the west. Was it time related?

Kuroba started laughing at him. "You idiot. You have to tell the watch the name of who you're looking for."

Saguru felt himself blush a bit, clearing his throat. "Well, I hadn't thought of talking to it."

"Least it works." Hattori snagged it from him and Saguru found himself grabbing back for it. There was no way he wanted the Osakan to ever come into contact with something he considered so important.

"Give it back!"

It was almost shoved in his hands too fast, making him blink in surprise as he looked back at it to make sure it wasn't damaged.

"Tsh. Damn thing don't work if ya aint' holdin' it."

"Then refrain from touching it again." Saguru made sure that the watch was in fact not pointing at Hattori-kun, like he had feared, before looking towards the others. "So we are supposed to drive there?"

"That was the plan. I just wish we weren't short one member," Kuroba muttered as he scratched his head.

"Did you think I wouldn't come?"

The magician wasn't the only one that jumped. Saguru felt like his heart had suddenly been shot up into his throat and found himself coughing as a man had appeared, simply out of thin air. He had dark eyes, dark hair, and was dressed in dark clothes. He had all the makings of a super villain in a cartoon.

"Jeez, you didn't have to do that!"

"I'll drive. You're good, but I'm better." Saguru saw the man look over at the young girl as he spoke, seeing the girl hide behind the older gentlemen he had just come to know. She looked scared and Saguru found himself feeling badly for her. He would take the front seat if there was some animosity there.

"Fine. I'm not about to get stuck in that small backseat again. I'll be my own means of travel." Kuroba batted his wings a bit, throwing some air at him that had been still before. "Meet me when you're ready." And then his classmate flew into the air. Flew. Like a bird.

"You should get your head around magic sooner or later." Akako turned back. "Come on. Hattori-kun, you're with me. It would be better to have Hakuba-kun with us as well but teaching him would take too long and he's too heavy for Kuroba-kun to carry. Navigate as best you can and we'll be on your trail. If something goes wrong, shoot something." She went over and Saguru watched as the man in black took out a firearm, watching it glow faintly red for a moment when Koizumi touched it. "The sound will travel even if you don't do much damage."

"Understood."

Saguru kept his eyes on the gun even as the man put it away. He had not been introduced to this one, though he assumed it was the man who had not been there earlier.

"And if you get in trouble?" Saguru found himself asking, looking to Koizumi.

She smiled back at him. "Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine."

He had no other choice than to believe her so he nodded, most of them going towards the white sports car that was parked down the street and the others going inside, though he didn't know what those two needed in there. There was too much impossibilities to believe right now that, whatever it was, his mind was better off not knowing.

The man in black let the professor in the car before getting in himself and Saguru made sure to let the girl in. She kept staring at the other man and he couldn't place what was wrong. He'd keep an eye on them.

Direction was not as easy as it seemed. There were cars on the road that the man swerved insanely around. Instead of zigzagging like he did in the beginning and getting them all carsick, Saguru would let them drive in a line until the watch hand evened out more parallel and then have them turn.

The car ride felt like too long and too short. He could tell how worried and tense everyone was, feeling a bit of his own worry creep up on him for the boy as well, but mostly he was scared for them and questioning this man's driving capabilities. He almost wished Kuroba had been the one behind the wheel.

He had to make them stop to pull over some time later. He was really good at keeping time, had been since he found it fun to try and track it without his watch, but adrenaline made that rather hard to keep accurate. He wanted to say it had been twenty minutes.

He got out of the car and rested against the brick wall, feeling the slightly colder texture of the bricks and hoping that would help him relax some.

It was a short-lived reprieve when the others dropped down… on brooms. They were riding brooms, like out of some fairy tale. Seeing Kuroba land and fold up his wings like a bird, watching them vanished, _almost_ seemed more normal by comparison.

"I will never find anything so hard to believe again," he murmured to himself.

"So, where is he?" Hattori almost grabbed him, his hands in front of him and instead grabbing still air. Saguru found himself slightly afraid of the hot-blooded detective, though he doubted he would ever intentionally hurt him. It was the 'unintentionally' part of that sentiment that had him concerned.

"It has changed too much in the last few circles. He should be within a few blocks of here." 'Here' seemed to be a shopping district that Saguru had never been to, much further off than he would have expected the boy to be if he had disappeared near the residence they had named to him the previous day. They were a good drive from there, though probably not far enough to question how he could have pulled it off if he had a twenty-four hour day to work with as well.

Saguru made sure he moved before Hattori could become physical, watching the hand as he walked, leading the others. Running would only gain them attention and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing, what with the creatures that he was told shared this time with them.

They were rather interesting creatures indeed too. They seemed to be made up of shadow, if that were possible. They looked solid and yet their forms would waver from time to time, as if the light source behind them were moving. They also had completely failed in some cases on registering size. He could have sworn that one of the creatures he was looking at was a chipmunk the size of a large cat or small dog.

He had stopped when he turned the corner, facing about six of these things. Besides the chipmunk there were a few smaller creatures that were clearly a rabbit and two squirrels. The other two were larger, one resembling a male deer, whose antlers weren't fully grown in and the other a medium-sized lab.

The group of them was looking back at him and he stood there, unsure what to do. Hattori had come around the corner with him, though Kuroba was next to him and seemed to be poking his head out.

"Huh, he kind of looks like them now, doesn't he?"

Saguru didn't think his classmate was talking to him but no one else said a thing. The lab from the group of not-animals nodded to the others around it and came forward- towards them.

" _ **Hey**_."

Saguru swallowed. The dog just spoke to them… and it sounded a lot like Conan in a way. In another, it sounded like something that set the hairs on the back of his neck up.

"Hey yerself." Hattori went ahead of him, towards who Saguru had to believe was Conan, and knelt by the animal's side. "Seems I was worried 'bout'cha fer nothin'."

The dog seemed to shrug, its body shivering for a moment as it moved too fast, the blur it created looking like smoke until the boy stood a few feet ahead of him, a smile on his face. "I don't know. I am kind of stuck here. It was an interesting time though and I have more answers than I did before."

While it had been some time since he had seen Conan-kun, he was sure the boy never had black hair and the dark gray skin that he was now sporting. Even his clothes had turned into gray-scale. His eyes were by far the creepiest, completely black with no sign of a pupil.

"Jeez, so this is what happened ta ya." Hattori poked the boy, something that seemed to annoy the younger one. "Yer still you though, yeah?"

" _ **Of course. I just have more of my magical abilities at my disposal. I think that's why I have been acting more like my dog counterpart. I have a lot more of its senses at my disposal this way**_."

"Huh." Kuroba made him jump, speaking up behind him. "I didn't think the taint worked like that but I guess it makes sense. It would be why they wanted our powers. They can take them and enhance them."

Conan-kun nodded, looking towards him. Saguru couldn't be sure if he was meeting his eyes or not, the black creating a much broader range that could be the boy looking at Kuroba. " _ **When did Hakuba-niisan get involved**_?"

"Ah, we kinda had ta find ya an', ya know, had ta work wit somethin'. Weren't about ta take on the whole Darkling community now."

Conan nodded again. " _ **He can track me then**_." The boy looked back at Hattori. " ** _We have a problem_**."

"Ya, we gotta get ya not so black anymore."

" _ **No, not that**_." Conan waved his hand. " ** _I actually want to stay like this for a while more. It's easier. The issue is what I learned while I was here. See them_**." The boy waved his hand to the other shadow creatures, looking much like himself. " _ **I figured out the real reason that wolf had been after Amuro-san, along with how this all works. We might need to sit down for this**_."

"I'm rather interested and, as long as they aren't about to eat us," Koizumi walked around the corner, letting Saguru see the older man and girl that were a lot more curious than afraid, coming around with her. "I think an explanation would be lovely."

" _ **They're fine. As long as I'm here they won't do anything I don't tell them to**_." Conan nodded to them, the creatures seeming unsure. The two squirrels were the first to move, both running over to Kuroba.

The magician wasn't scared at all, the black things climbing up his pants as he extended his arm to let them rest there. "Hey there. You're the little guys from before, aren't you?"

Before? Saguru was about to ask when Conan interrupted.

" _ **First, the taint. I had been wondering how it got us all when these creatures aren't a part of our world. There are two ways to pass it on. One is if someone already tainted somehow shares blood with you. The small amount of Darkling blood can easily get passed along that way. The second is how it happened to us.**_

 _ **If there's a big enough explosion, it reaches their world as well. The worlds are still connected those twenty-four hours of the day, we just can't see one another. If it kills a Darkling, its blood will sometimes connect with us through the thin veil that divides our realities. Amuro-san was the first hit and, because of our connection to him, the Darkling that died in the explosion latched onto us as well. I don't know how that part of it works, only that, in the sudden disturbance created in both worlds, that's the result**_."

"Mmmm." The small girl that Saguru had first met at the professor's walked forward. He had never seen her before now and she didn't seem as scared as he figured a child would be. "I don't see how that proves a problem."

" _ **It doesn't. 'See-er's are a bit different. While the explosion and the further taint was chance, the fact that there were some on the train was not. 'See-er's don't just show up in our world, they show up in the Umbra Terrarum, or whatever you want to call this world, as well. Normally that wouldn't pose a problem but something here noticed this, and has been trying to use them. So far these guys have been able to tell me that Amuro-san wasn't the only 'See-er' that's been here. The first that they had found and were told to go after was a woman who died in our world before they could bring her here. I think it was pure chance that they were actually able to get Amuro-san and us. The fact that they've been looking for 'See-er's though worries me. I can't understand what they'd want with them and the Darklings I've spoken to don't know either**_."

"Wait, wait, wait." Hattori waved his hands. "I got so many questions it ain't even funny. One, how are ya talkin' ta them? There ain't no way they can speak or they would'a already. And second, why are they doin' what'cha say?"

" _ **Speaking is telepathic. I suppose I'm more like them than I'd want to be. I can communicate with them just fine. As for why they listen to me, it's a strange concept here. It has nothing to do with size or power but how intelligent or human the creatures are. The leader is the cleverest then instead of the strongest." Conan smirked, his teeth dark even in the light. "I couldn't be any happier for that fact. It means whatever is after the 'See-er's is far above the other Darklings, as they were able to control ancient ones like that she-wolf we ran into**_."

"So we've got someone smart behind all these attacks and we don't know who it is and, if we leave them, there's a large chance that they'll go after that guy again." Kuroba let out a breath, getting a little ahead of him. "Even with Hakuba-kun, we don't have a lot of firepower. If we find this Darkling we might not be able to stop it."

Conan nodded. " _ **Which is why I want to stay this way. I might be able to challenge it for dominance. It might not be enough to dissuade it from wanting to go after 'See-er's but I might be able to figure out what it wants them for. It didn't look like that Darkling that attacked him had a plan in mind, though it's hard to tell since he was never fully possessed. Since he's not here right now, I take it you were able to purify him**_?"

"More or less. He still has some bullet holes in him but I'm beat." Kuroba smiled, though Saguru had seen enough of him at the house to know that was the truth. Even in the blue light he looked worn. Squinting a bit, since it might have been his imagination, Saguru could swear there was a faint white light around the magician he hadn't noticed before. "If I don't need to cleanse you tonight, maybe I can get him tomorrow."

" _ **That still leaves the question with how we're going to find them. I've been asking the other Darklings but it seems that they haven't had contact with the leader. Only the older ones have and I wasn't going to risk getting killed if I failed to gain dominance**_."

"Then of course we wouldn't be sure if they would have further information." Saguru hadn't spoken since he had run into all this strangeness. It had time to sit with him and, while he still felt disconnected, he was thinking. "I can't find anything unless I know its name it seems."

" _ **Darklings have no names so that wouldn't help**_."

They were all silent for a while. It was Kuroba that finally broke it and sighed.

"We're going to have to bring your friend back into this, aren't we?"

Conan looked a little guilty as he met Kuroba's eyes. Saguru wasn't sure why. The boy nodded slowly.

" _ **We might. I'm not sure if he'd be able to find them either, but it's better than nothing. For all I know, the one behind all this could be halfway around the world**_."

"What about you? Are you fine in this time?"

Conan nodded. _**"I've been avoiding the more powerful Darklings, as have the weaker ones. They can command anything less intelligent and the others know it, so they like to avoid the more powerful. I don't really command them so much as talk to them. It's why we weren't attacked when you took me flying. These Darklings have no orders to hurt us and, on their own, they don't care to take us on. Even if they tried to, weaker ones physically can't overpower us. Our minds would crush theirs**_."

"That makes sense." Kuroba played with the two shadow squirrels that were hanging around him, holding one almost as one would a cat and petting it while the other wrapped itself around his neck. "So we watch out for anything that looks smart. That's very specific."

" _ **The smarter the animal they take on reflects their own intelligence to a good extent." Conan ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not sure whether to feel flattered or insulted that I'm a dog, even as a half Darkling or whatever I am now**_."

"Ya wanna hang out closer ta us next time? Took us a while ta get here an' it's gonna take us a while ta get back."

" _ **Sorry. I was having a look around. I can't tell time in this world. It's… very different than our own. I'm sure it's still twenty-four hours but the flow seems… distorted somehow. It's hard to explain. I'll stick close to the professor's today/tomorrow and wait for you. I'll ask around a bit before that to see if I can't get more information. Different Darklings know different things**_."

"'Kay." Hattori put his hand on the child's head and mussed his hair a bit. "Ya know, ya really had me worried. Yer okay though? Like, all those wounds ya got are…"

" _ **Healed. I'm fine**_." Conan tried to brush him off. Saguru found the scene rather endearing, if not for the fact that his mind was still trying to process too much crazy information all at once.

"Might as well head back then. Ain't like we kin do anythin' here. Ya wanna ride?"

" _ **No, I'm good. Four legs. I can go a lot faster and for a lot longer. It's a nice perk**_."

"Sure, dog-boy. Keep safe then an' I'd better see ya first thing t'amarr'a night or I'm comin' after ya and makin' ya regret lyin' ta me." Hattori brought up a fist and shook it slightly but he was smiling. Saguru watched the child smile back.

" _ **Hopefully tomorrow will be the last day you need to worry about me again, as far as supernatural danger is concerned. Let's take this demented Darkling down**_."

"Ya know it."


	19. Mastermind

**Chapter 19: Mastermind**

Kaito didn't like not being able to drive but the other guy was back again and had taken the wheel before he'd had a chance. He had no idea where that guy kept disappearing to, but he wasn't about to fight with him. He didn't like his gun and that was enough reason to keep his distance.

Also, there was something kind of scary about him. He'd almost prefer the known danger the blond man possessed than this unknown.

And of course they'd all be put in danger again because they were about to re-taint the guy he had only _just_ gotten back to normal. It was like they were trying to wear him out.

It was still the other time so he relaxed as the man drove back at a more sedate pace with the others in the car. Kaito liked the time he had to rest, though he couldn't sleep with that man next to him.

They got back minutes before the time ended so they all relaxed, Kaito finding himself keeping close to Akako and Hakuba. He didn't know why, considering everyone knew who he was, but maybe it was that 'known' danger that was so attractive.

"I'm sorry. You're right, I did not believe you. I do now. Please accept my apologies."

Kaito shook his head at Hakuba, knocking him on the arm lightly. "No worries. I wouldn't have believed me either."

"You do not need me now if you're going to use the other man to find this enemy of yours. I suppose drawing me out of this time again is the most reasonable option. I am hardly a fighter and there's nothing I can do to add to the team."

"You wish. Do you know how low on energy I am? You're staying, end of story. If something goes wrong, hey, at least there are more of us. You have fists. Go punch something."

That made Hakuba laugh and Kaito relaxed a bit more in his presence. It was hard to be friendly with the guy when he had next to no reason. Hakuba barely talked to him in class, his nose always in a book or magazine, and the other half the time either helping him or dropping hints about his identity that he'd rather the blond would shut up about.

"Speaking of which, Kuroba-kun. I'm going to taint him again and we are going to be as far from him as possible when midnight arrives. If the Darklings can see him on this side, our best option is to move before time is up. We'll leave you here to get Conan-kun."

Kaito nodded. That made sense. He should have thought about it. Considering they were inside, and he doubted those things could easily walk into buildings, at least, he was hard to see. Maybe that was why they hadn't been attacked yet. "Before that, I'm going to bed." He went over and laid out, passing out on the nice soft comforter. Then he was gone.

…

The day passed much the same it has before. This time Kaito focused on healing himself and the man so that they'd all be ready for tonight. The guy was a great cook and made them all meals, no one really leaving the house as they wondered what would happen tonight. If the blond man couldn't find this Darkling, they'd be stuck back at square one, risking Tantei-kun to run around trying to find it on the other side of things.

He napped on and off, being woken fifteen minutes before midnight so that he'd be up while the others all left. He waited, watching the moon from outside the large windows. This place was so nice. He could get used to staying here. The old man really knew how to stargaze.

Then the moon stopped being the brightest thing around, the wood and floor glowing in an off blue. He got down from the area he was sitting on, going over to the door and seeing the little guy in dog form, sleeping curled up by the door.

"Aw, you're such a cute puppy." Kaito bent down and pet him on the head, waking the small detective. Conan didn't seem too happy about it, drawing his lips back to bare dark teeth as he growled. It only made Kaito laugh as he stood up. "You need to be human for me to carry you. You look heavier as a dog. We have to go."

The small detective's form changed, the boy giving him a skeptical look when he had eyebrows to use. " _ **We're leaving?"**_

"The others are meeting somewhere else. Don't worry, it's near my place. Hakuba-kun picked it and, since you said they could see that guy, he had to move."

Conan nodded, raising his hands as Kaito picked him up. It was such a strange situation. He didn't think he'd ever tell the little detective who he was and now he was flying around with him, about to go after some supernatural beast that could very well chew them all up and spit them out without even trying.

It didn't take long to fly to the small café near his house that Hakuba-kun had picked. There were outdoor chairs that most of the group were sitting in, the man in black gone once more. He touched down, putting Conan down as well, and seeing that the blond man had an arm on a table and his eyes closed, a faint white glow escaping under his eyelids that gave him the strangest expression.

"Okay… He find anything?"

"Not yet." Hakuba was the one to answer him, watching the man as well. It seemed a few of them had been talking to one another while he slept. The professor and girl were back at the house but the detective had even gone over to them beforehand and questioned them. He was just that nosy.

"It's hard to know what I'm looking for. It's not as if I'm an attribute dictionary and can sort out what I want by intelligence level. I'm doing this by looking for what creatures have others following them. There are more than you would think, so I'm having to refine and refine again." The man opened his eyes, the white glow shining enough that it seemed to even light up his face a bit. Kaito didn't think he was actually looking at anything before him though. "This might take awhile."

Kaito was fine with that. He wasn't even sure it would work. If the Darkling had already ordered others to do its work for it, the chances that it had others around it to listen to it were slim. It was something though. Kaito took a chair of his own and sat, resting his head. The healing hadn't taken _too_ much of his energy but he was still tired and knew that he wouldn't be doing any fighting today.

Kaito was sure he nodded off. The screech of the chair as the man suddenly got to his feet made his heart start pumping a mile a minute. He got to his feet soon after, fixing his clothes a bit and trying to calm himself down while the others all turned their interest to the blond as well. The man still had the white glow to his eyes but he was frowning, as if trying to see more clearly.

"I might have found something but I'm not sure. They look…. " The man frowned deeper, his hand going to his face and resting in front of his open eyes, cutting off most of the light. "I don't know if it's what I was supposed to find but it's worth looking into." He blinked a few times, lowering his hand and his eyes blue once more. The man glanced down at Conan-kun. "They looked kind of like you. I think there's another human with Darkling blood here."

"What?" Kaito didn't think it would be a human. He was expecting to go up against some big something or another and punch its lights out. He didn't think another human would be doing this. It didn't make sense. In fact, how would another human get here?

"That's just what it looked like. I'm not sure if Darklings only take on animal forms." The man's eyes never left Conan though they turned questioning.

Conan shook his head. " _ **I've never seen a human one, though it would make sense that, if there was one, they would be leading the others. How far**_?"

"A few miles. It shouldn't take that long in my car. By the way, someone owes me some gas."

Kaito smirked, shrugging. He had only driven it once and it was to get the car back. It wasn't like it was his fault. He'd have to go to the man in black to get his gas money. "So we have to go back and get the professor. There's too many of us to fit in one car again."

Hattori groaned. Kaito didn't have to worry about himself. He had his own wings but the rest of them would be on brooms again. He looked over at Hakuba, likely one of the few that would be in the car. "You guys are going to be the main targets then, if we run across any of the Darkling minions of this human Darkling, what with him in the car. Be careful."

Hakuba seemed unsure of what was going on but nodded to him. Kaito would be keeping a look out above the car so everything should be fine. He picked up Conan.

"Well, lead the way."

…

He was calmer, flying over the city with the little guy safe and not about to go fighting Godzilla. Sure, the Darkling might be just as powerful but it was hard to be scared of something human when there were mountain-sized creatures out there.

Hakuba was behind the wheel so the other guy could direct and take his eyes off the road. Kaito hadn't even known the guy could drive manual but it worked out that he could. Mr. Invisible didn't seem to want to go in the car, and the man spoke nothing to him. Hattori had gotten his wish and landed a backseat ride in the car, so it wasn't like the dark skinned detective was up here, complaining at him.

The funny thing was, they weren't really going outside of Tokyo. It was close to the boarder, but not nearly the area he pictured this big showdown.

There were apartments here and there, tall buildings and a mix of this or that sprinkled around the area. Kaito even saw a small park nearby and a hospital as they began to slow down.

The car stopped and he dropped down besides those that got out, seeing that all of them were looking upward as they exited. Kaito followed their gaze but saw nothing.

"It's on the roof of that one." The blond man pointed to a building slightly off in the distance. It looked like a hotel, though it could have been many things. It had plain gray bricks and nothing special about it. Kaito hadn't been flying high enough to see what was on the roof and now he was kind of happy he hadn't. The Darkling would have seen him before he was ready for it.

"So," Kaito spoke as he let out a deep breath. "We only have three brooms, no time to look for more, and I can only carry one person tops – probably the little guy again. The rest have to go in with the professor. How are we going to communicate?"

"I have a flashlight." The old man fumbled around in his pockets, pulling out a small flashlight. "I can shine this in one of the windows when we get to the top."

Kaito nodded, looking back up. "Well… if anyone wants to stick back, now's the time."

No one said anything, the little detective being the first to walk over to the building. Kaito smiled and followed after him. He was starting to like these guys.

….

Kaito waited below for the light. He didn't want to start flying and have his wings give him away. They weren't that bright but they weren't exactly invisible. The white would be eye-catching and he wasn't sure the Darkling wasn't overlooking the city.

The light came and Kaito took off with the others. He was the most obvious so he stuck lower. He didn't want to be the first one over and make the wings give them all away.

Their little team was the first on the roof and Kaito didn't miss the Darkling. It was definitely humanoid. While on the other side of the roof that he quickly landed on, letting the little detective go and ready to defend himself, he could see the Darkling's arms and legs. It was hard to make out black against black though until it moved, reacting to their presence.

Kaito… could not feel as if he were in danger if he tried. The Darkling didn't have longer fingers like the one that had possessed the blond. It had no glowing eyes or fangs or anything. It was very… human. In fact… it kind of looked like an inverse of Hakuba-kun, which made it look even less threatening.

Conan had turned back into a dog and Akako had raised a hand to herself, a light red glow around her fingers, but neither had made a move. Kaito had no way to put himself on the defensive, since he couldn't really attack in this time, and he had to figure that the other two were waiting for the rest of their group to come up the stairs.

Kaito stopped caring about that though, watching the Darkling human blink as if it wasn't sure what it was seeing. It didn't look intimidating, it looked curious. It then came back to him that maybe this wasn't the Darkling that they were after. It had been the blond man's best guess and _that_ brought a bit of the fear back. The man had been searching through Darklings that were controlling other Darklings, so this one wasn't alone.

The Darkling had been laying down and was sitting up now, watching them with open curiosity, about to get to its feet when Akako-san shifted, making it sit back down, one leg going up while it rested its arm there. Kaito looked towards the door and back at the Darkling. The others would be coming up soon but…

Kaito started walking over toward the Darkling, the other's black eyes following him as he came over. He stopped when he was ten feet from him, hoping that was enough to keep him safe. "Hi."

" _ **Hi**_ ," the Darkling spoke back. Its voice sent a shiver up his spine like all the other Darkling's voices did. Considering they used telepathy and this one could speak, it was definitely an older Darkling.

"So… not planning to overthrow the human race, are you?"

The Darkling blinked up at him a few more times before laughing. Kaito had _never_ heard a Darkling laugh and hoped he never would again. This was honest laughter and, with the timber to its voice, it almost hurt hearing it laugh. It was like having a lot of bass and being too close to the speaker. Once it stopped it shook its head, Kaito barely hearing the door open in the background. " _ **I'm sorry, what?"**_

Kaito didn't want to look away from the Darkling, being as close as he was, but he had to as he let his gaze dart toward the door. Hattori had been the first one through the door, likely because he was the best able to defend himself, but he could just see the blond man behind him. Kaito pointed back to the guy. "Were you trying to kill him? Sorry, not kill." Kaito put a hand to his chin. "Have another Darkling possess him? Actually, that sounds really stupid now that I think about it. Why would the leader want to have another Darkling possess someone else? It would give their subordinate more power than they'd want them to have."

Kaito suddenly noticed that there were so many loopholes. Conan told him that wolf had been after the guy, but she wasn't the one who had tried to possess the blond man. So what was the point to all of it? The others obviously weren't out to gain power for themselves if left to their own devices. So what was the point?

" _ **Can we start over at something more basic? How did you get here?"**_

Kaito tipped his head, feeling tense muscles relax, even though he was still close. "I have wings in this time. I flew. The others got here through their own means."

"No, no. Not here as in this building. I mean this time? How did you get here?"

"Oh, we all were tainted a bit ago. I'm not sure if this side has the same explanations our side does. I guess we got drawn in here. Only the kid is fully tainted though." Kaito tipped his head back a bit, hoping Tantei-kun was still back there somewhere.

The Darkling's eyes narrowed, its first somewhat hostile sign that Kaito had seen, though he wasn't sure if it was in anger or simply trying to see better. _**"We have different words. I'm assuming the taint you're talking about is the blackness. Most of you are still your right colors though**_." It shook its head. " ** _You're confusing me and it's pretty annoying_**."

Kaito wanted to laugh. The dark, rich sound of its voice sounded so out-of-place with its words. He had never met such a laid back Darkling, even with the squirrels. "We're only a part of this in-between hour. We have the rest in our time, like you do in yours. That's why we're not black." He didn't know that the Darklings didn't know these basic things. Then again, humans couldn't be coming into this time very often. It made a lot more sense that even some of the older Darklings wouldn't understand what was going on any better than they did.

" _ **As long as we're talking and not attacking**_ ," Conan's voice was at his side. Kaito hadn't even heard his footsteps. It gave him another mini-heart attack and he tried not to show it. " ** _What are you doing here? What have you been up to?"_**

" _ **The same thing you probably have - trying to get back home**_."

… huh?

Kaito wasn't sure if this man was really human or not, but he spoke like one and that seemed like a very strange statement from a Darkling. Kaito looked between Conan and this… man? They both shared the same taint, though it was hard to tell. Apparently the others saw the taint differently than he did. When he looked at it, it looked alive, not just markings on the skin that the others seemed to see. It moved, shifted, played in the shadows. The Darklings looked the same.

"So… you're human?" Kaito asked.

" _ **I was. I don't really know what happened. I've been stuck here for what feels like forever. You have no idea how much I want my cell phone. I probably would have gone crazy if not for these guys**_." The man raised a hand and Kaito watched a few smaller birds came down to land beside him. They weren't birds though, they were Darklings. A few even went towards him, Kaito feeling one land on his head. He had to smile at that. He loved these little guys, even more so when they were birds.

" _ **How long have you been here?"**_ Conan asked while he was occupied.

" _ **Time wise… it's very hard to tell. Years, probably. I tried to keep track but even with this brighter hour, it doesn't do much good. Ever try and write on something here? It disappears after the times separate again. I could probably have stayed by a rock and scratched something in, but keeping myself in one place to try and keep track of the days would have been boring**_."

"So that doesn't tell us who was after him." Kaito looked over at the blond man, not afraid to take his eyes off the Darkling guy now. If he was human there was nothing he'd gain from jumping him.

"I wasn't wrong." The blond man's eyes glowed white briefly, staring down at the Darkling man while he did. "He's definitely the one who sent them after me. I don't know who you are or what you're up to, but you can't trick me as easily as you can trick them."

" _ **Ah, the man with the white glow my friends caught a glimpse of before.**_ " The Darkling man smirked. Kaito found it creepy and took a step back from him. " ** _Sorry, I didn't know that was you. I've heard stories about people like you. It's easier now that you've come to me. I didn't think those idiot creatures would ever find you_**."

"What? Why would you want to kill him though?" Kill probably wasn't the best term but, considering possession wiped out all that was left of the person's mind that they took over, it wasn't that far from the right word. "It would gain you nothing."

" _ **Kill him**_?" The Darkling man looked at him, confused and the smirk gone. " ** _I didn't want to kill him. I heard through some of the older Darklings that there were people with a white light that could remove the blackness. I was only looking for him. Why the heck would I want to kill him?_** "

Wait, what? Kaito was really confused now and shook his head.

"You were lied to."

Akako was at his side, making him jump worse than Conan had. He was too distracted to have heard her coming towards him.

" _ **Lied to**_?"

"Yes. The older Darklings were likely feeding you what lies they wanted. 'See-er's may exist on both plains, but they could never help you. The only thing they can do is get possessed by Darklings from this plain, as any other human would, and serve as a guide. I've heard of Darklings possessing them and using them to find others who could be competition. It is how the elder ones have fought for power over the years, by keeping tabs on the weaker ones and making sure they stay in their place. It also allows them to see when the stronger ones are at their weakest. There is no way that he could have ever been of help to you, only to the older Darklings that used you to find him. A human would have a better chance of finding a human after all."

The building shook as if an earthquake had just hit it. Kaito had great balance but he still fell to a knee, watching the others hit shoulders and elbows painfully, Conan fallen against him and probably the least hurt of the lot.

The movement stopped and Kaito took the time to run past the Darkling man and look over the side. Nothing was there but he caught the sight of black and went to his left, looking over the side once more.

Kaito had seen his share of Darklings. They varied from time to time but they were, in essences, animals. And they acted like animals. This… this was _huge_. The little guy had filled him in on everything days ago so he wasn't completely surprised to see a wolf with its paws on the hotel, knocking into it.

The building shuddered again and Kaito fell, clinging to the railing. He looked back at the others. "Ah, I think we have some trouble here."


	20. My World

**Chapter 20: My World**

The first person over to him was Conan, but the Darkling guy didn't take long either. He heard some noise of disgust from him before the guy went into his pockets.

Kaito could kind of make out his clothes now. There was a white shirt under a black one, or at least the contrast was higher than the rest of him. The rest of him just slightly different shades of deep and deeper black. He seemed pretty well dressed for your average person. Actually… he really did look like an inverse of Hakuba. The only difference was this guy had at least five or more years on the detective or he would have sworn they were twins.

" _ **So, they were playing me, huh? If I can't get out of here, I guess going up against one of them isn't the worst way to go**_." The Darkling man pulled out what was definitely some sort of small rock from his coat, running along the edge of the building before stopping above where the wolf was and dropping the rock. It kind of looked like he pushed something but Kaito couldn't be sure what it was.

Normally, he wouldn't have thought a rock would do much versus a giant wolf. Apparently that hadn't been a rock though. If it was, he had to get himself some of those rocks. It hit the wolf and exploded, the shockwave shaking the building as well, though not nearly as much. He wondered briefly how much damage that had done to the structure before figuring that he didn't care.

"Come on, we have to get down from here."

Kaito fully agreed, making his wings appear and reaching for the little guy who had turned himself into a dog again, probably to try and keep his footing. "Come on!"

Conan changed back almost in midair as he jumped at him. Kaito lost some of his breath but took off, making sure he wasn't on the building. He didn't want to fly over the wolf and going on the other side meant they might get hit with debris so he stayed where he was, seeing the others had disappeared down the stairs. He had to hope the stairway wouldn't collapse before they got down.

And that was a sobering thought. He went over a few buildings, landing and putting the small detective down. "Stay here!" Then he was off again, watching the wolf strike the building with its side and take out a large chunk of it.

"Hey, Ugly!" Kaito shouted as loudly as he could, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Missed me!"

The wolf stopped its assault and turned towards him, its head tilted up and its eyes examining. He returned the favor, becoming slowly disheartened. This wolf was the size of a two-story home and some. Its size didn't seem to hinder its mobility in the least. There was also intelligence behind that gaze that made a shiver run down his spine.

" _ **Little human healer, killing you will be a great pleasure indeed."**_

Kaito had to fight hard to keep his wings going. Its feminine voice resonated through him more so than the little detective's and that Darkling guy's had. It hurt somehow, felt like it was sapping his strength from him. He noticed he fell a few feet and had to fight harder than he should have to regain them.

" _ **That fact that you can even stand to be in my presence when you are so insignificant in this world is interesting. You do not belong here. You are nothing but a nuisance."**_ The wolf tensed its shoulder like it was ready to jump at him, bared its teeth, and growled.

Kaito wasn't sure what was wrong with him. The others hadn't said there was anything strange about the wolf before, that it could somehow make you feel weaker than a kitten. Kaito lost the feet he'd reclaimed and then some, drawing low enough that it probably _could_ jump at him and get him. His head was fogging up and he felt ready to go to sleep where he was. The wolf… smiled..

 _Damn it_. Kaito knew he had to do something. It was spelling him somehow. He had to get out of there. With no long-term plans in mind, Kaito simply let his wings vanish and he fell to the ground.

The ground wasn't exactly close and he had gravity working with him. Falling, though, was nothing new and he'd been higher up when he'd literally fallen without wings of any type before - and he wasn't planning on actually touching the cement.

The wolf obviously hadn't expected him to just fall, and when it saw that he was it relaxed, drawing back up on its paws and taking a few steps towards him.

There was one very large difference between having a glider and having wings. That was that distance from the ground meant nothing to him. He let himself go head first, looking around quickly at what was below him. His wings slowly returned, held tight to his back and sides. Then he opened them, feeling like a kite that had suddenly caught a strong high wind. He didn't try going up but he did switch his vertical fall to a horizontal one not twenty feet above the ground. The curving out of his flight left him closer to the street than he would have liked. He only waited until his momentum was no longer going to drive him into the cement before making the wings vanish and running down a nearby alley that was much too narrow for the wolf to follow.

Kaito took in a few quick breaths as he heard the large footsteps draw in the rest of the distance. The wolf looked down the alley at him, sticking a paw in to try to get him – about the only part of its body it'd be able to fit.

" _ **Do not think you can all hide from me forever. Your powers come from our world. They were not yours to take. We are the originators. You will never beat us."**_

"I'm not really trying to," Kaito shouted back, turning and running down the alley. "Just trying to get away from you, but thanks for thinking so highly of me."

Hopefully that had given the others _some_ time to get out. Kaito now faced the very real problem of having nowhere to hide. The alley was great and all, but just as he was halfway down it he heard the crack of cement and metal. It didn't take him long to see the wolf had jumped atop the shorter of the two buildings and was batting its paw at him. He was hit from the side hard enough to throw him into the wall, which he then stuck to. It could reach most of the area but it couldn't turn its paw to get him with the claws, or extend them far enough to hit him while he was pressed up to the side.

The wolf stopped trying after a while, going for a second option. It retracted its paw, instead hitting it hard into the adjacent building above his head. Kaito watched the creature, seeing the pieces of glass and mortar come undone and aim right for him.

"Crap."

Kaito took his wings out, tripping a bit as he moved to have enough room to stretch them. He was so tired. His mind was screaming at him to move but his body didn't want to follow those commands. That hesitation was enough. Death was getting a free hit at him.

He should have died. He really should have died. Instead he was blinking dust out of his eyes, the parts of the building that were aiming to crush or impale him now nothing but sprinkles of dirt raining down at him.

" _ **You going to get out of there already, or do you have some sort of death wish**_?"

Kaito stared at the Darkling guy for a few seconds before he finally was able to get his feet to move. He ran towards him, seeing the man pull out another rock from his coat and wait until he passed him before following after and out of the reach of the wolf.

" _ **This way**_ ," the man spoke, pulling on the back of his left sleeve when he tried to go right. Kaito didn't have time to question him or his motives as he followed the man's lead. He heard the wolf jump off of the building, the ground shaking with its weight. He didn't look back. Something was wrong with him and he didn't know what it was, only that the wolf had seemed to get right to him without even touching him.

There was no way they should have been able to outrun that wolf but he didn't hear anything more from it as he continued forward. There was no trembling of the earth, no threats, no growling.

He only ran a few blocks when he was pulled around the corner of an adjacent street and subsequently slapped in the face.

"You complete idiot! Do you have any idea how out of your weight class that thing is? Do you even understand what unnecessary risks are?!"

"Hey, you don't get to slap me when you have no idea half of what's going on," Kaito spoke sourly at Hakuba-kun. He noticed the detective and the blond man were the only other ones over here, wondering where the others were.

"I do understand that you versus the animal version of the Hulk is going to equal bad news. Now, _David_ , let's leave Goliath be and hope that little girl can keep it distracted."

That Kaito could agree with. He followed the two blonds, the Darkling man somewhere behind him. He didn't hear so much as he could see him in his peripheral vision. The guy's footsteps were just too quiet, considering it looked like he might be wearing dress shoes. He couldn't say he wasn't just as silent when he wished to be, but he had lots and lots of practice.

The blond man knocked on a glass door once, the automatic doors opening and revealing that their apparent secret hide out was, in fact, a donut shop.

"Quaint."

"I think so as well," Hakuba said, with just a tad of sarcasm to go with his smirk.

"I'll be right back after I get Conan-kun."

Kaito turned to watch the blond man take off and the professor touch the doors so they would close again.

"Is it a good idea to have him out there on his own?"

"He's not on his own." Akako was standing near one of the doors, looking out. "The tainted man we just met along with the invisible one are with him, not to mention that dark-skinned boy. They can handle any dangerous situation that comes up and the little girl here is providing distractions to keep the Darklings in the area busy."

Kaito looked over at the girl who was staying with the professor, seeing her sitting and looking out the window as well.

"It would have been better if he had stayed here and just the other two went. I can't see a thing and my illusions can only go where I specify. The further I can see and tell them to go, the better off this distraction would be."

"It's not like it's doing that much harm. Amuro-kun can tell where Conan-kun is, so there isn't much choice." The professor looked withdrawn compared to the few times Kaito had seen him. He couldn't blame the old man for being afraid. He was and he wasn't nearly as weak or slow with age.

Kaito let out a breath and sat on the other side of the door, away from the three. "Akako-san… something happened."

"Yes, the Darkling spoke with you. This is your first time meeting a powerful one. Do you remember what I told you about your powers?"

"Ah… that I can destroy Darklings and that I'm somehow the opposite of them and I can do some weird healing and remove taint."

"Yes, in a nutshell, that is what you do. Do you know what happens when opposites of some kind of existence get too close to one another?"

"Ah, no. Afraid I've never run into that in the text books."

Akako sighed. "It's not like ions. You are two very opposing forces. There is nothing that can keep you apart though. What happens when you get close then, is that one of you weakens the others. There is no way you could ever take on a Darkling that was at full power. Your consciousness simply overpowers their own before you even touch them. It is why you had to fight so hard to remove that possession. You had weakened them but, in their own way, they had weakened you. The effect was just far more of a burden on the Darkling than you. With the ancients, the opposite happens. _They_ are the stronger force and you the weaker. When you get too close to them, you are the one that's going to be on the losing end."

Kaito swallowed. "Oh. You could have told me that before."

"I didn't think you'd run right up to one while I wasn't there to yell at you not to."

"No running up to the big bad ones then, got it. How much time do you think we have left?"

"Maybe ten minutes. I was hoping they would be faster about this. I don't think leaving those two in this world for another twenty-four hours would be wise, not with the more powerful Darklings that have been using that tainted human now knowing that they cannot. I'm not sure if they can possess the two of them and there is a chance they will simply kill them on principal."

"How much taint do I have to remove exactly before they're in our world again?" He had removed Conan-kun's before. It had knocked him so hard on his butt that it wasn't even funny. Now he had to do two. At least he'd gotten some rest but he was still feeling the aftereffects of being too close to that wolf.

"You're the one who can see that better than I can. The rest of us can take care of ourselves if you need to rest up, before cleansing us all. My own and Hakuba-kun's will disappear on their own."

"We'll see." Kaito was going to get the black two for sure. The rest might have to wait. "There's no way we can take on that wolf thing, is there?"

"No, and even if there was, what would be the purpose? They have their world and we have ours. There is no separating the two, even if we would like to. The taint is really all that matters and you can take care of that. The ancient is hardly the only one out there."

Kaito nodded. He was done. He'd get the others, fix them all up, and this would be all over – at least for them. "I'm going to miss the wings."

He noticed Akako smile and look over at him. "Of course that would be the first thing you think about. It's too dangerous for you to come here so I can't promise you you'll ever have them again. Living with the normalcy of real life for a while will at least give you an appreciation of my own gifts. Unlike yours, mine don't change depending on what plain I'm on."

Kaito liked his own magic just fine so he knew he'd be okay. He did smile though, feeling better now that things were calmer. There was still a wolf outside but it would be gone in a few minutes. Hopefully the others would get back before that. "A little non-magic I guess isn't the worst thing in the world."

"Frankly, all of this is crazy, and so are all of you." Hakuba folded his arms and let out a breath. "I'd rather my reality be stable once more. Besides, trying to keep up with you when you have actual wings is too difficult."

"Ask Akako-san for a broomstick."

"No thank you."

"Aw, come on. It's fun."

"How would you know? You were never on one."

Touché. It still made Kaito smile at that mental image though. The door opened soon after and the three missing party members of their new little group walked in. The forth was probably there but Kaito couldn't see him.

"Well, who's in the mood to get untainted?" Kaito stood, rubbing his hands together like a defibrillator.

The Darkling man was the first to turn towards him. " _ **I thought you said that couldn't be done**_."

"We said _he_ couldn't do it." Kaito pointed to the blond man. " _I_ can do it just fine. They had you looking for the wrong person. They can't use _me_."

The man sighed but there was a smile on his face. _**"You know, it's been years since I've been back. I think everyone thinks I'm dead**_."

" _ **How did you get here anyway**_?" The little detective had been a dog while he walked in but turned back into his normal form. It was too weird hearing a dog talk, even for Kaito. Seeing most of him as a shadowy black was only marginally better though.

" _ **Explosion. I'm not sure what happened. Boom and then I'm here. Well, not here, here. I was kind of thrown into this world and the areas didn't meet up well apparently. I fell a bit but I got better. I don't know why that threw me here though.**_ "

Conan nodded, putting a hand to his chin. " _ **Maybe they were trying to do that with Amuro-san too, but he wasn't close enough at the time. I think**_ …" Conan looked up at him. " ** _You were probably the closest, but since you're a healer I'm not sure if you would have been tainted as much as the rest of us were_**."

"Probably not." Kaito shrugged. "I have no idea though. I wonder why Darklings are even around explosions if it can throw humans into this world."

"Human emotions feed them," Akako spoke up. "Negative and positive. They will gather on their own side where our emotions are most powerful. Usually desperate situations will stir up these emotions. The chances of someone getting tainted enough to be thrown into their world would be slim. They'd have to be close to the Darkling on our side of things and secluded enough that the taint wouldn't be as spread out as it was with the rest of you."

"Explanation time for maybe after the hour ends?" Kaito spoke up, interrupting the Darkling man when he looked about to speak. "Times about up and I don't know how long this will take."

Akako shrugged, turning away a bit as if he'd insulted her. "I'm not stopping you."

"Conan-kun first." Kaito bent down, looking up at the man with a smile. "Sorry."

" _ **No problem. I would have told you to fix him up first anyway**_."

Kaito reached out and put a hand on Conan's head. He had to take a little, just enough to make it so the Darkling blood wasn't his most powerful. Conan had been half-tainted before and been just fine, so halfway seemed like a good stopping point. He had to close his eyes and feel around inside the detective, almost as if he had a second, invisible hand. It hurt. He wasn't sure why taking away the taint always hurt. Maybe it was that opposing forces thing. It wasn't as if it physically left any wounds on him so he ignored it, scrapping away the darkness a bit at a time, feeling his hand shake where it was resting.

He opened his eyes once Conan was at least half himself again, only not passing out because Hattori had somehow come up behind him without him noticing and held onto his shoulders. How did the guy always know when he was about to pass out?

" _Sorry_ ," Kaito spoke out quietly.

"'s okay. Ya sure ya kin do both 'a them right now?"

No, he wasn't. In fact, he never wanted to touch this blackness again. He couldn't just leave the other man alone in this time though. For all he knew, the wolf and its comrades would come after him. All the guy had at his disposal were birds and exploding rocks. That, and it was far less disturbing to see the little detective with pale skin and blue eyes once more. " _Don't know_ ," he finally settled on answering.

"The ancient hadn't been lying. Our magic essentially stems from them. It's why I have no way of giving you any of mine. It would hurt you more than it would help. You have to produce your own." Akako took in and let out a breath. "You've been pushing it as it is. I think all of us know if you try that again you'll be unconscious for who knows how long."

Kaito had to admit, he was afraid of going into a coma. He didn't want to worry his mom and Aoko. They'd get no explanation why and Akako had pretty much said he couldn't regain his energy when he was asleep, so he'd have no way of waking up again. He probably shouldn't have healed himself and the blond man before this.

He let out a breath. "I can do it, I just don't know if I can do it as much as Conan-kun. If you get stuck in their world still, I'll finish off what I don't get tomorrow. Are you okay with that?" He looked up at the man who had been stuck in this world for _years_. He knew he'd want out if he were in that situation. Heck, even talking to people as he was now was probably something he wasn't used too."

" _ **I'm fine with that. This wears you out a lot more than the others**_." Kaito didn't miss the smile on his face, even with all the shadows that were playing around it. " ** _One day after hundreds upon hundreds won't really bother me_**."

Kaito nodded and stood, accepting Hattori's help when the dark skinned detective offered it. He reached out his hand, putting it on the man's shoulder, and closed his eyes again.

Kaito had to watch his own power this time. There wasn't much of it left and he didn't want to push himself too far.

Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't going to let himself pass out. He had passed out doing this before and it was going to happen again right now. He just needed to push far enough to remove the taint as much as he could without throwing himself down the well to do it.

…

Conan watched the magician pass out. Kid was more of an asset than he had ever expected. Without him they would likely have been stuck in this world forever. He had brought freedom from it, along with the answers he had been looking for, which was just enough that he wasn't ready to go throwing the thief in jail.

The hour wasn't up yet but he saw more of a human in the man's eyes now. His skin wasn't as dark as it had been, but it wasn't light. It seemed his hair was naturally black, as it hadn't really lightened up with the rest of him in the minute Kid had been helping him.

"So, who are you anyway?" Conan had been wondering this for some time but there never seemed a good moment to ask him. The guy had been either an enemy, a potential ally, or they'd all been running for their lives.

"Matsuda Jinpei. It feels like forever since someone cared enough to ask." The man let out a breath, dark hair staying neatly in place as he ran a hand through it. "I don't suppose any of you smoke, do you? I'd kill for a cigarette right now."

"A cigarette would be killing you if I did have one. You haven't smoked in years, right? Save your lungs the little life you left them and don't pick one up again. It's a nasty habit."

The guy laughed. "Why is it kids are always the ones to chide me about it? After surviving this… maybe it is better not to touch one again. Old habits die hard though, and I'm a little too old and too stubborn to want to change now."

"You don't look that old," Conan added nonchalantly as he looked the man over a few more times, taking in little details about him. The man's name was ringing a few bells in his head though and he wondered how he knew it. He knew he'd never seen him before. He _hated_ not remembering something he clearly had memories of. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"It would have been three years ago or more. I think you're a little young to have known me. I'm not much of the 'children' type."

He frowned in thought, putting a hand under his chin. Had he somehow met him before he'd gotten involved with the organization? When and how? He'd met a lot of people as a detective but he didn't know why he wouldn't remember this guy.

Conan was startled by a hand on his head. "I don't forget a face. I've never met you before. I don't think you came across members of the bomb disposal squad very often."

"You're with the police?" No, Conan didn't come across them often, even as Shinichi. Everything he learned about bombs he learned from an older man who had been a friend of his father. This man was clearly too young to be that man. "You're right, I don't think I've met you. Your name is very familiar though."

"It must have looked like I died. I was probably in the paper."

That made a lot more sense. He likely came across the man's name while he'd been reading the paper. He didn't hold onto it because he read thousands of names every month. "If everyone thinks you're dead, how are you supposed to come back? You said it was a bomb, right? If you were hurt, your wounds must have healed like mine did. You don't see many people walk away from something like that and come back years later."

"It is a strange set of circumstances." Amuro was leaning against a wall, watching them. He hadn't been speaking up much recently. "We can probably work something out later. An unexplained death may be newsworthy but there's no reason we can't explain someone coming _back_ from the dead. You didn't have anyone after your life, did you?"

Matsuda shrugged. "I might have, I might not have. I didn't make any enemies that would go far enough to target me while I was with another branch of the force, so I'd be leaning towards no. The explosion I walked into. I could have been anybody."

"Well, we're about to find out if you're coming back with us or staying here." Conan looked out at the sky. "It's just about time."

"We have four minutes still."

Conan turned to Hakuba, having forgotten him. He wondered why they needed him and how he'd gotten involved. Since Kid was here, there was a chance the thief had brought him in. Being that it _was_ Hakuba and Kid though, there was something else likely going on he wasn't seeing. The guy had never once called the thief Kid, only by his name. "Thank you for helping."

Hakuba nodded. "It was my pleasure and the others, while they will not admit to it, had been hurt or running on adrenaline. It seemed a voice of reason was needed for a time."

"Hey!" Hattori butted in, insulted. "Don't exaggerate!"

"You bumped into me and your reaction was to punch me in the face." Hakuba arched an eyebrow. "That does _not_ make you the voice of reason. Amuro-san here was injured and out of it. Kuroba, quite obviously, doesn't know when to stop." Conan watched Hakuba look at the unconscious thief that was still in Hattori's arms, slouched over and clearly not awake. "While Agasa-Hakase and Ai-chan are both level-headed, neither of them seemed to be giving any input."

"There wasn't much to say." Haibara was over behind the professor, sitting down and looking bored. "Someone doesn't like to tell us what's going on and trying to talk sense into that one would be like preaching to a brick wall."

Conan wasn't sure if she meant him or Hattori but knew well enough that the statement was true. He hadn't really thought he'd been leading them but it seemed, without him, there had been some unbalance. "None of us knew what was going on. I'm glad everything worked out as well as it did."

"Mostly." Akako had her eyes on him and he saw them almost glow red, the blue mixing along the edges of the light to form a purple. "I think Kuroba-kun offered more help than he should have. What is going to happen with that? I see two futures right now, and I'm going to do all I can to prevent one of them. I want you to think on your actions right now, because they will affect my own. What do you plan on doing?"

What kind of question was that? Conan smirked. "I'm going to pretend that I never met him and if I see him again he'd better watch his back."

He heard Hattori chuckle. "Same, though I didn't let 'im fall 'fore. If'e wants ta talk ta me fer some reason, he can. I'm more lenient than that guy." Conan didn't miss Hattori tip his head in his direction and he blew out a breath. As if Kid hadn't come to him before now, and for help as well.

"And you?" Akako's eyes narrowed further, this time at Amuro. "You know more than you let on."

Amuro smiled something far too innocent and wide-eyed. "I have no idea what you mean."

The two of them stood in silence for a while, Amuro smiling still and Akako looking him over. The time fell away back into their own before Akako looked away.

"Very well. You're a friend for now but if things change, know that I will not be on your side."

"I figured." Amuro turned back to them. "Seems you're back in the real world. How does it feel?"

"Like I'm going to borrow some yen and get that cigarette." Masuda stepped forward, his hand out to Amuro. "I don't feel like asking kids for money for something like that. I'll pay you back once I exist again."

"You're out of luck there. I hate smokers."

Masuda let out a breath and a laugh. Conan could see him far better now without the taint. He was clearly Japanese and well dressed. He had no idea how he'd kept his clothes intact for all those years and he had to assume he shouldn't be smelling as well as he was if there hadn't been some way to keep them clean. None of them missed the electronic noise as his phone came to life after all the years it must have been stuck without power.

"Forgot I even had this." He dug out an old cellular, clearly backing up his story that he'd been there for years. Conan hadn't seen that model since freshman year, when all the first generation flip phones had been released. The man looked through it for a while before closing it. "I guess no one tries to call someone they think is dead."

"You can stay over at my place," Conan offered. "Hattori-niichan already is and it's too late to make any life decisions." He was sure Kid wouldn't want him at his house, Akako was a girl, Akai had vanished, Amuro was keeping far too many secrets for all the right reasons, and Ai seemed to have a problem when new people stayed over with her and the professor. Hakuba-kun was an idea, but he had no idea where the guy lived and Conan knew he'd be better at helping Matsuda than Hakuba would be.

"Ah, right. They probably sold my place since I have no family. Great." Matsuda looked around. "Where are we anyway?"

"We're still in Tokyo, just barely. Conan-kun went pretty far and then we went further looking for you. I think we're in Hachioji-cho, though I can't be sure we didn't cross out of the city." Amuro had been driving so it seemed he had a better idea of their location. Conan had none, since the Darkling world he'd been in didn't correspond well to his own.

"Are we taking a cab? It seems pretty late." Matsuda looked up at the sky and Conan had to wonder if he could read the stars.

"I have my car though I don't think we can all fit now. Downside of having a sports car." Amuro shrugged. "Professor, I can drive you back and you can pick up your vehicle and come back and get those that I can't fit. Is that okay? I could always make two trips. I don't mind."

Conan did a quick headcount. Amuro could fit five, six if they squeezed or had someone small. Being that there were ten of them, both the professor and Amuro didn't need to return. Where Akai was, he wasn't sure, but fitting nine would be easier and he'd get a ride back. "You should go with him, Hakase. Hakuba-niisan, you and Kuroba-niisan should go with too. I think he should be in bed." He looked over at Haibara. "You too." It would be hard to fit if they didn't split up the larger people.

Haibara nodded, as did Hakuba. Akako didn't seem too happy that he hadn't named her but he had a feeling, even in this time, the witch could get back on her own.

"I'll be back then." Amuro started to walk away before stopping and turning back. "Thank you. I have memories, even if they are faint."

Conan waved him off, happy he had gotten him back, though Kid had really been the one to do it, even without him there. "It was a team effort. We are a team, aren't we?"

Amuro walked away, waving back. "So it seems."

…

Matsuda had wasted no time finding uncle's cigarettes and then raiding the fridge after they'd gotten to Mouri's. He didn't tell him not to. He had no idea how they, as humans, survived long-term in that world. It seemed now that he was back, food was way up there on the 'to do' list.

Sleep seemed next as the man was out before Conan could even get to bed, laying out on the couch and half sitting up. He got a blanket and left him where he was while he and Hattori got out bedrolls and settled in the same room. The old man was likely sleeping off a hangover and he didn't dare wake him up this late.

While he didn't like the idea, Kid seemed like he wasn't going to be waking anytime soon so the thief and the others were all hanging out at the professor's anyway. He'd have to talk to him in the morning. Conan didn't like owing Kid or his friends so much.

When morning came he was one of the last to wake up. He found Hattori still out and the old man in front of his small television, eying the kitchen. Conan looked towards it then back at the old man.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kogoro went back to the television, the morning paper out in front of him. He noticed his eyes dart back to the door though. It was enough for Conan to get up and walk into the kitchen.

Matsuda was in there, watching Ran cook and talking to her about breakfast. He noticed a previously lit cigarette in his hand that had been put out that he was holding onto.

"Morning, Conan-kun." Matsuda beat Ran to the greeting, seeing as she was watching the stove instead.

"Morning." Conan looked between the two of them. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing. Matsuda-san here was just asking about what's been going on around here since he's been out of the country. He said he's never even heard of my dad and it has him pretty ticked off." Ran laughed to herself. "He'll get over it."

That was a great excuse and a good way to get information. Conan watched the man, seeing him squint slightly, as if it were hard to see. "How are you doing anyway, Matsuda-san?"

"I'm fine." The man smiled so easily that Conan wondered if he always did or if he was just that happy to be back. "I have a slight headache, that's all. I took some medicine that Ran-chan gave me a while ago and it hasn't kicked in yet."

"I'm sorry. If you're not feeling that well I could make something else for you for breakfast."

"Again, it's only a headache. I'll be fine." Matsuda shaded his eyes from the sunlight coming in from the window and Conan had the sudden thought that, in all that darkness, if the light wasn't too harsh for him.

Mouri had sunglasses somewhere upstairs. With the random places he put things though, Conan had to leave and look around a bit before he found a pair. He came back down and offered them to Matsuda. "Here, this should help with the headache."

"Ah, thanks." The man put them on and Conan noticed the tension now that it leaked from the man's frame. "Much better."

Conan was planning on skipping school today. He'd call himself out later. He had to make sure that, now he was back at Mouri's though, Ran didn't know that. He got his backpack and set it aside while she finished up breakfast. Matsuda-san joined them and Conan had no idea what excuse the man had given for his presence but no one questioned it. Ran even said goodbye to Matsuda as she left for school, ushering him as out well. Conan tried to shoot him a look that said 'get outside' or 'downstairs' or anything that would get the man to meet him outside so he wouldn't have to get past Mouri.

Making like he was walking to the professor's to pick up Haibara like he did every day before school, he turned back and waited. He should have gotten Matsuda's phone number after he'd noticed the man still had a phone.

It wasn't long before the man made his way outside, his hands in his pockets as he saw him and headed over towards him, pushing the glasses higher up on his face. "Hey. I have some stuff I want to take care of after this little meeting on what I'm going to do. I don't think showing up after all this time is a good idea and I have a job offer that I think would be better for me anyway."

Conan nodded. "You and Amuro-san were talking to each other for a while. I couldn't hear everything over Hattori-niisan's talking, but I figured it was something like that."

Matsuda nodded. "I'm not ready to leave just yet though. I'll meet you at the professor's to get rid of the rest of whatever this is that's pulling us into this world when I'm done, alright?"

Conan nodded. "Be careful."

"I've been in that world for years, with monsters that could eat me if they wanted to. Don't worry, I'll be just fine."


	21. Bright New Future

**AN** : While I normally write third person from the perspective of the character, I do so with stating their first name. Matsuda is best known by his last name though, so I had a feeling calling him 'Jinpei' would just confuse people. So third person will be dictated by last name and not first.

 **Chapter 21: Bright New Future**

Matsuda knew there was something strange about that boy. He seemed to lead the rag-tag group of people who, against all his expectations, saved him. He couldn't be more grateful for that, half afraid that world had taken something precious from him. Himself.

Once around people again though, he felt just fine. He was sure he'd been happier than he had in a while, but that was because he had time to get over most of his anger and grief. He had time to see the world in a different, darker light, which made him appreciate the sunshine.

The sunshine he'd have to get used to. While he'd always worn glasses before because his eyes were slightly more sensitive, that sensitivity had been turned up tenfold. He was sure it was just something that his body would have to get used to again instead of something permanent.

He found himself at Metropolitan Police Headquarters. It had been three years. He wondered what had happened around him. It seemed that Ran-chan had known several officers that had been brought up in conversation. One in particular had caught his attention and he felt the need to see her.

Matsuda had heard enough about her to know he didn't want to hurt her, not again. He wasn't willing to stay in the shadows though.

Megure looked like he was still inspector. The man hadn't been a bad leader, though he hadn't been a great one. Matsuda had the man's phone number since he'd been put on his squad. He had Sato's as well, though he'd rather talk to her in person. He debated calling one of the two of them before simply putting his phone away and waiting near her car. It was hard to miss Sato's red, rather showy, vehicle. She'd have to come back to it sooner or later.

He hadn't felt that bad about stealing the pack of smokes from the man's place he'd been at. He'd never heard of Mouri-san and the man's fridge was full of beer as it was that he really didn't need both smoke and drink killing him. He lit one up as he stood in the darkness of the garage, waiting and unsure what to say.

It was a few hours before Sato came out, a man following after her. Their footsteps were quick and he had to figure she was called out on something. He stayed where he was, tipping his shades to see her better in the darkened area.

Either his lit cigarette or the fact that he was a strange man standing alone in a police garage was enough to make her stop and look at him. The man stopped as well and Matsuda was able to get a look at him. He had a feeling this was Takagi-kun that Ran-chan had been telling him about.

"Matsuda-kun?"

His name was said with such fragility that it almost hurt. He smiled and pocketed the glasses, the low lights not enough to make the headache spike up again. "I could be, though I feel like a ghost right now."

He watched a large range of emotions fly across her face, mostly sorrow. Her eyes seemed to water up faster than her brain could comprehend what his presence meant to her. To him, she was a long lost friend who very well could have been more. She had cared about him when he hadn't cared about himself.

"You… You jerk! You've been alive all this time?! How!? I saw you… I saw…!" She couldn't seem to get her words straight and he couldn't fault her. He was too far to help her when she seemed to fall to her knees, the man beside her going down with her, saying her name lightly and asking what was wrong.

This was not the Sato he remembered. He had broken her somehow with his disappearance and he felt badly for it. He walked over to her slowly, dropping the cigarette and stepping it out before standing before her and offering his hand. "Sorry about that. A lot of things out of my control happened. I was only able to come back just now."

"It… it doesn't make sense. You can't be…" She was looking up at him, her violet eyes angry and confused and hurt. He could only stare back at her with something close to sympathy.

"Are you really Matsuda-kun?"

Matsuda looked over at the man. It didn't take much and he'd been seeing him out of the corner of his eye for some time. Unlike Sato, the man didn't look as confused. He looked angry and ready to get up and punch him if he answered wrong. It made him smile to himself and he drew his hands back and into his pocket. "I'm afraid I am."

Sato was stuck in some denial phase that involved tears but Takagi, if that was him, nodded and seemed to accept his presence. "What happened? Where have you been?"

"If I told you the truth you'd never believe me." Matsuda doubted anyone but those few he'd come to know recently would. It was why he was going to accept the job with one of the men that saved him. He had a feeling that he might be repressing or something and that he might need someone who understood at least a bit of what he'd been through. "Let's just say I had no way of getting in touch with anyone where I was until just now."

"That's not good enough. Do you know what Sato-san went through? I think she deserves answers."

"Then I will give them to her. Since she'll probably think I'm crazy after this though, know that I would have contacted you if I could. I was in another world. Do you know someone who could have survived that explosion? I know that if I hadn't been thrown into wherever I ended up that I wouldn't have. Maybe it was a good thing though. I think she found something better than me while I was gone." Matsuda put the glasses back on. "Take care of her. I probably shouldn't have come back here but you know me, I can't really stop myself when I want to do something. I'll be gone for a while, I don't know how long."

"Wait, Matsuda-kun!"

Matsuda waited, watching Sato get to her feet. She came over to him, slowly, and reached up to take his glasses back off. She looked him in the eye and he looked back at her. The tears were still there but most of the emotions had faded into the background.

Then she slapped him. He put a hand to his face, knowing that laughing right now at the suddenness of it all was probably not the best thing. He couldn't help a smile though.

"That's the Sato I remember."

"You are the most inconsiderate, complete idiot, reckless, moronic, jerk I have ever met but… it's really you. I know it is."

He nodded, looking her over again. "And you're really you. Different, but you. I'm happy you chose not to forget me."

That made her laugh. His smile grew a bit bigger as he watched her get her composure back, wiping the new tears out of her eyes. "Forget you? As if I could."

"Matsuda-kun." The man walked up beside Sato, extending his hand. He had a smile on his face too. "I don't know what happened to you but I don't think anyone would make up something like that. Whatever happened and wherever you've been, Sato-san really missed you. Don't disappear again."

Matsuda couldn't help it this time. He laughed too. It felt like so long since the last time, and that wasn't even counting the years he'd been isolated from the rest of the world. His apparently new rival was inviting him to stay. He had wanted to give Sato and Takagi their space but it seemed that wasn't going to happen. He extended his hand and shook the man's. "I'm not leaving Japan so I'll be back." His eyes went to Sato's. "If a bomb didn't get rid of me, you won't get rid of me that easily. You know, I still think I have a thing for you."

Takagi choked and he watched Sato blush. He meant it. New couple or not, Matsuda hadn't had the chance to be there for her, and if he was getting another chance, she'd wind up with him if they were the better couple. That was up to fate. If not, he could use his old friend.

"Sorry, I'm spoken for."

"Worth a shot." He held his hand out. "Can I have those back?"

Sato, having been close to crushing the sunglasses, handed them back to him. He put them on top of his head instead of over his eyes. He may have wanted to, but it seemed she wanted the eye contact.

"It's hard to believe you're really here. Where are you going anyway? You made it sound like I wouldn't see you for a while."

"You might not. I'm putting my lot in with somewhere I might be able to help more. I won't be far though, and hey, maybe I could use your help if I need it. We can always get together for lunch or dinner sometime too, if you're up for it and your boyfriend will let you."

"Oh, don't worry about him." Sato waved off Takagi.

"Hey," the other officer spoke up, disheartened. "It's not like I'm your dad or something. I can come too though, right? I know I don't have anything to share about the past or-"

"Of course you can come too, right, Matsuda-kun?" Sato was smirking and raised an eyebrow at him as if daring him to say otherwise.

"Of course. I love inviting other men to dinner with me." He honestly didn't mind that much. It was just nice to be speaking with her again. "We have some catching up to do."

"We do. So what, is your being back some secret now or something?"

"It might be. I won't be around the police much anymore. It's better not to have to explain myself without sounding insane. The people I'm working with now know a bit more about it than the rest of you. If you really want to tell someone, go ahead. I don't see why it has to be a secret."

Sato nodded. "Do you have time right now? Takagi-kun and I were supposed to go watch this man's house but Chiba-kun or someone else can do it. Want to get some early lunch?"

"That sounds great." Having not eaten for years, it seemed that his body being back to normal wanted him to put on some weight. "Megure-keibu's going to let you do that though?"

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

Sato really had changed. "Let's get going then."

…

Kaito was beyond tired but he was able to regain enough he was sure he could get rid of the rest of the taint on the others. Conan-kun and the ex-Darkling man were the worst and would take the most energy. It was late at night before he was willing to try fixing them up.

Once done, he was ready to pass right back out again and Hattori offered to buy him food, so he took him up on that offer and stayed awake instead. Food tasted great and it was kind of nice to be around the larger group of strangers that he'd meet recently. It seemed the Darkling guy got a place to stay while he'd been unconscious and everything had sorted itself out.

Most everything had. Akako was still bothering him about his magic but, since it looked like he wouldn't have to use it again for a long time to come, it wasn't anything he was worried about.

Hakuba was mostly back to normal, though it seemed the presence of another world where there could possibly be more people like the Darkling man disturbed him. The chances were so low that Kaito wasn't willing to risk them all just to search around.

He would have to take something from Akako in the next week or so, so that he could un-taint the area as well, apparently, where the darkling had died and first gotten them all. Most explosions were powerful enough that the area was never affected. With how big the taint was in that place, apparently it was best not to let it be. People could accidentally get infected through the small boarder of their worlds and neither of them was willing to risk that.

That was, of course, once he had more power. Currently he was scarfing down a hamburger and watching those new people around them. The guy who could turn invisible wasn't there so he'd have to go ask Conan-kun where to find him so he could remove his taint as well later.

"Jeez, I've been missin' so much school. Kazuha's gonna kill me." Hattori was laying back on the bed Kaito was currently eating on, not really having to rest physically.

"I know." Conan was across the room, on a chair near the kitchen. "But at least you can catch up pretty easily."

"Ain't like no one knows _ya_ missed school."

"Quit talking about school," Kaito remarked angrily. He had Aoko to deal with too, along with having to keep secrets from her and Hakuba now being in on more of his life. He should have kept himself tainted so he could avoid the detective and make heists easier.

Akako smirked. "Unlike the rest of you, I've only missed a day."

"Good for you."

Hakuba shrugged. "I've only missed a day as well. I assume you have it worse, since you would have missed work and been without an excuse." The detective spoke to the other man, Kaito realizing that the guy probably got fired while they were trying to help save his life. That was a low blow.

"I have an understanding boss. I told him more or less that I was indisposed of for the time being and had no way of contacting him. Throwing in a bunch of lies, I made sure I kept my job. My other, well, I've gone out of contact before. They didn't even know I was gone."

"Your other? I was unaware you had two jobs."

"It's more of a side job." Amuro raised his finger to his lips and smiled. "One that I don't like to talk about."

It sounded like something dirty and Kaito was all for not talking about it, though he had heard the Darkling man would be working with him. Having visited Mouri's a few times, he was hoping it was the café job and not whatever 'underground' work the man was involved in. That, or it was that job as a killer. Kaito really didn't want to think about that. The Darkling man liked to hide his eyes and seemed far more intelligent than he had first given him credit for.

"I have to thank you." Amuro walked up to him. "All of you, but mostly you. You saved my life, and some of you went through a lot to try and do it. I appreciate it."

Kaito nodded. "No problem. I don't like people dying when I can stop it."

"Same," Hattori chimed in. "Don't even worry 'bout it."

"I should thank you too but if you don't want it then fine." The Darkling man smirked, dark glasses covering his eyes so Kaito couldn't read him very well at all. "Since I inadvertently involved most of you, I am going to say sorry though. And you. I didn't know that they'd try and kill you." The man tipping his head towards the blond man was the only reason that Kaito knew he was talking to the guy and not him.

"It's okay. You were told a lie that you had no reason not to believe and it did have a positive outcome. I would have done the same in your position."

"Now that all the 'thank you's' and 'sorry's' are done, time for goodbye." Kaito threw what was left of the burger in his mouth and stood up. He stretched. "I have to get ready for school tomorrow and I'm still pretty tired."

"Yes, I think you should get some decent rest." Hakuba was already standing and put his coat on. "While none of us seem to be going far, we do have our own homes to get back to and I find it unlikely we will all end up in the same place once more. It was a pleasure to have worked with you all."

Hattori snickered. "So professional."

"Someone has to be, hot-head-san."

Hattori growled and Kaito had to laugh. "Come on, no fighting you two." He shrugged his own coat on, having not needed it in the other time much, what with no wind-chill to deal with. The wings probably gave him some added resistance against the cold he hadn't noticed. He passed the little detective. "Bye. I think you owe me _way_ more than a little favor now."

Conan scowled. "I think I have enough on you that standing here while you walk out that door is more than enough."

"Stingy," Kaito scowled back. The little guy may have gotten him involved but he had stayed because he had wanted to, so maybe he had a point. "I'll probably see you later. The rest of you, have fun with your lives." He raised a hand and walked to the door.

"I can at least offer you a ride home."

Kaito turned to the man. Bourbon had tried to kill him before. In the last few days he had found himself going far, far out of his way to save that same person's life, all because the little detective seemed to trust him. He had not been alone with him, though he doubted he would be since Hakuba and Akako needed a ride back as well. Did he trust them all in the car with him?

"That'd be great, thanks."

"It's late. I'd also like to have you close by when midnight hits, just to be sure."

Kaito smiled to himself. _I think we're all going to be happy when the clock hits twelve o' one. That was a really fun adventure though, even as deadly as it was. Detectives, they always get me into the worst danger and I always have to bail them out of it._

Flying though made it all worth it, as did coming away from all of that unharmed.

Maybe he'd get some of those pills Akako had… just for fun.

Conan didn't know what Kid was thinking but he didn't like that look on his face when he walked out the door. Odds were Vermouth still had this power somewhere. He knew she had been on the train with them and Amuro had made no attempt to get her to come close enough that he could let Kid have at her. That made her a very dangerous foe.

He did have a new ally now though, and if he needed help, Kid had strange friends. He could always find a way to use this to his advantage, somehow. He'd just have to think on it, and he had plenty of time for that.


End file.
